


The Myth of the White Snake

by BobaBunnies



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - After College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Akuma (Miraculous Ladybug), Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, Alternate Universe - No Powers, China, Chinese Mythology & Folklore, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Inspired by The Legend of the White Snake (Chinese Mythology), Light Angst, Love at First Sight, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:33:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 25,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26031937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BobaBunnies/pseuds/BobaBunnies
Summary: Gabriel Agreste is on a quest to kill the white snake demon in this story of forbidden love. When him and Adrien travel to Hangzhou, Adrien gets saved by a strange girl and starts to fall in love with her.Little did he know... He has fallen in love with the white snake demon.(Based on the Chinese legend. I take no credit for the concept or characters)*Set in the modern world**Also available on Wattpad*
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 8
Kudos: 21





	1. 第一章

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone knows Mandarin, please correct me if I wrote a chapter title wrong. I'm really bad at Mandarin >-<
> 
> I've seen a lot of fanfics set in China (at least on Wattpad, but not so sure about AO3), but I've never seen one based on a Chinese folktale. I heard this story for the first time when I was like 8 (my dad is Chinese ^^) and loved it! I did a lot of research and looked at renditions of the original story to make it as accurate as possible in terms of Chinese culture while giving it a more modern twist. The characters might be a little OOC at times, but I tried to keep them in character for the most part.
> 
> I'll shut up now. Hope you enjoy! :D

_Now_ _boarding_ _flight_ _number_ _CI_ _4830_ _:_ _Paris_ _to_ _Hangzhou_ _._

Adrien took his seat on the airplane next to his father, feeling his weight melt into the softness of the seats. He buckled his seatbelt before inserting his earbuds into his ears. Nino, who had agreed to go on this trip with Adrien and Gabriel, placed his suitcase in the cubby above their seats before taking his seat at the end of the row.

"Dude, this is going to be quite a trip," Nino said excitedly.

Adrien chuckled, "I guess you can say that"

Adrien knew that this "trip" wasn't for vacation purposes. His father had received word about a giant white serpent spirit roaming around in the city of Hangzhou—a creature that he has been chasing after for years.

Adrien didn't believe in such a thing, it sounded like something straight out of a fairytale. He often questioned his father's sanity, but he decided to come along anyways—under the circumstance that his best friend, Nino, traveled with them. Even if he doesn't believe in the white snake demon, Adrien agreed to keep the purpose of this trip a secret, and Nino is left believing that this trip was a way of celebrating their college graduation.

Adrien, having studied Mandarin for almost ten years, saw this as an opportunity to have more exposure to the language, so either way it was a win for both him and his father. Although the main dialect in Hangzhou is Wu Chinese, he figured that he could still get around with Mandarin vocabulary. However, the southern Mandarin pronunciation will be different from what he has learned.

Once all of the passengers were seated, the plane began to move. It started off very slowly and gradually picked up its speed to the point where Adrien fell back into his seat, feeling butterflies tickle his stomach in the process. It was his first time riding an airplane, so this feeling was unusual. The plane only accelerated under his feet, pushing him deeper into the back of his seat. Before he knew it, the plane tipped upwards at what felt like a sharp angle. Like he was on a rollercoaster climbing upwards on a track, preparing for a terrifyingly steep fall. Adrien gripped the handles of his seat as if he were holding on for dear life, his face growing pale.

"It feels like my breath is being sucked right out of my body," Adrien said, wide-eyed.

Nino noticed his best friend's reaction and laughed lightly.

"Don't worry, dude," Nino said, "You'll get used to this feeling eventually"

Finally, the airplane cut through the clouds and straightened out, and Adrien was able to relax back into his seat. He let out a sigh of relief as he loosened his grip on the handles.

"This is going to be a long ass flight," Nino said as he took out his laptop and headphones, "Perfect chance to play around with a new songwriting program I downloaded"

On the other side of Adrien, his father had already fallen asleep. The small TV screen in front of Adrien's seat had sprung to life, and Adrien plugged his earbuds into it. He selected a movie to watch in the time being and placed a neck pillow behind him to get comfortable.

**~•~**

After the ungodly hours of sitting down in the airplane, Adrien, Gabriel, and Nino have finally walked out of the airport and into the city. The foreigners approached a turquoise taxi that was painted white on the bottom and stepped inside. Adrien exchanged a conversation with the driver in Mandarin, and they were off to their first destination of this trip—or, in Gabriel's case, secret mission.

As the car dashed through the city, Adrien watched in awe as the large buildings flew by. Hundreds of unbelievably tall buildings surrounded him, making his mouth gape open at the breathtaking architecture of this beautiful city that is full of history and culture.

A number of tourists walked through the city, capturing its beauty with their cameras or just simply staring in awe like he was. A few Buddhist monks roamed around here and there, something that Adrien didn't see much back at home. If not ever.

After a couple moments of watching the buildings pass by, the taxi came to a stop in front of a large hotel. Adrien and Nino stepped out of the taxi and opened the trunk to retrieve their suitcases.

"You boys can go do whatever you want," Gabriel said and closed the trunk without grabbing his suitcase.

The boys blinked in confusion. They exchanged glances with one another, to which Adrien just shrugged at his friend before turning back to his father.

"Where are you going?" Adrien asked.

"Just to my temporary home that I rented for our time here," Gabriel said, "If any of you need me for whatever reason, I'm sending Adrien the address"

Adrien didn't bother questioning why his father was staying separately from them. He gave his father a nod of understanding, and Gabriel climbed back into the taxi. The car took off, leaving two recent college graduates in the middle of a foreign city.

Adrien knew his father was most likely crazy, but did he really just leave his twenty-two year-old son and his best friend in the middle of this unfamiliar place where almost nobody speaks his native language of French?

Nino nudged Adrien with his elbow and gestured to the hotel's entrance.

"Let's check in"

Adrien nodded and rolled his suitcase behind him as he followed Nino through the large doorway.

~

"Check out this great view!" Nino exclaimed as he opened the white curtains, "We were pretty lucky to get a hotel near West Lake, huh?"

Adrien plopped down on one of the hotel beds and silently stared up at the ceiling. He let out a groan as he flipped himself over and dug his face into the poofy pillow that smelled of freshly washed sheets. Nino took his eyes off the view in front of him and looked at his best friend. Concerned, Nino walked over to him and Adrien felt a portion of the mattress melt down as Nino took a seat at the edge.

"Hey man, are you alright?"

Adrien took his face out of the pillow and inhaled a deep breath.

"I just thought my father would actually want to spend some time with me," Adrien mumbled.

Even though Gabriel's intention for coming to this city wasn't to do touristy things like Adrien and Nino wanted to do, he at least wished his father would stay at the hotel with them instead of staying at a separate place.

Adrien's phone that had been resting in his pocket vibrated against the mattress. Adrien took his phone out, where a text from Gabriel emerged onscreen. Speaking of his separate place, Gabriel had just sent him the address. Adrien exhaled slowly, dropped his phone on the bed, and sank his face back into the pillow. Nino didn't bother asking what that was about and just frowned.

"Wanna head down to the Broken Bridge?" Nino asked, "It's strangely empty right now, so we can go there and relax"

"Fine," Adrien mumbled into the pillow.

~

Elsewhere not too far from the bridge, a certain pigtailed girl laid hidden in the vegetation. She looked just like a mermaid, except the bottom half of her body resembled the tail of a giant snake covered in white scales.

"Aren't you worried someone might see you?" Her best friend's voice asked from beside her.

Marinette smiled at Alya, the green snake demon who had stayed by her side for centuries. She currently stood in her human form, looking down at the half snake girl with her orange ombre hair falling over her shoulders.

"Nobody's walked on that bridge all day," Marinette said, "Even if they did, humans are blind anyways. They won't see me"

Marinette paused when she spotted two male figures making their way onto the bridge. One of them in particular caught Marinette's eye. The one with blond hair that was golden like the sun.

An unusual feeling instantly churned within her, a feeling she has never felt before—especially towards a human.


	2. 第二章

Adrien trailed behind Nino with his hands in his jean pockets as he watched his friend take multiple pictures of the shining lake that sparkled underneath the sunlight.

"This bridge is usually crowding with tourists," Nino said, "No idea why nobody's here, but we might as well take advantage of how empty it is right now"

"Maybe my father would have enjoyed coming here at a time like this," Adrien mumbled, "After all, he's hardly even around his own son"

Adrien walked over to the stone railing and sat down on top of it. Nino lowered his phone after snapping one last picture of the lake and looked at Adrien.

"I'm sorry man, your father seems like a boring ass dude," Nino said.

Adrien laughed lightly at Nino's statement. He wasn't even offended, he actually agreed. His father might as well be the most antisocial person in the world, not to mention his weird obsession with trying to kill this weird snake demon that's probably just a myth.

"It doesn't really matter," Adrien said, "I'll probably move out in a couple months anyways depending on how long my father wants to stay here"

Adrien tilted his head upwards and squinted at the blinding, light blue sky above him. The white clouds rolled by while the gentle breeze ruffled through his golden locks and clothes.

"You shouldn't sit on the railing like that," Nino advised.

"What, do you think I'm gonna fall?" Adrien laughed, "Dude, relax. You're acting more protective than my father"

Nino rolled his eyes, "Well, I'm not looking forward to swimming if you do fall"

"I'll be fine," Adrien said, "Besides—"

Adrien was cut-off when he felt something hairy tickle the top of his hand. Adrien blinked and slowly turned his head to look at the source of this sudden disturbance. On the railing beside him sat an inhumanely large spider that looked like something right out of a nightmare, staring straight at him with those black, beady eyes and fangs.

With his eyes enlarged in panic, Adrien jumped and screamed at the top of his lungs. Before he could do anything else, his body toppled backwards on top of the railing, where nothing was there to stop him from falling over. His panic fest only increased as he descended through the air and landed in the icy cold water with a large splash. Nino quickly scrambled to the railing and looked over, his heart pounding heavily in his chest.

"Bro!"

This was bad. This was _really_ bad. Nino pushed himself off the railing and ran off along the bridge.

In the distance, Alya and Marinette had watched all the action unfold. Marinette's mouth dropped open upon witnessing the fall, while Alya only burst out laughing. However, her laughing fit was stopped when Marinette turned full human and rose to her feet. Her majestic, white hanfu flowed behind her. Before Alya could say anything, her best friend was already running to the edge of the lake.

Marinette jumped into the lake, where all outside sounds were instantly drowned out as water entered her ears. With her sense of hearing blurred, Marinette saw Adrien's body sinking deeper and deeper towards the bottom of the lake. Marinette swiftly swam towards the handsome blond and caught his limp body in her arms. She made her way back to the shore and dragged his soaking body up onto the land.

A gargling sound came from Adrien's lips, followed by coughing as water pooled out of his mouth. Marinette let out a sigh of relief as his eyelids rose up, revealing a pair of emerald green eyes that struck her the moment she laid eyes on them. Marinette smiled at the boy, and his lips parted at the sight of her.

However, their moment was cut short when Nino's voice rang from the distance, calling out for Adrien. Marinette jumped to her feet and quickly dashed out of view without saying a single word to Adrien. Confused, Adrien sat up and scanned the area around him. Nino came into view, ran over to his soaking best friend, and knelt down by his side.

"Hey man, you alright?"

Adrien gave him a nod. Then, cold air whipped past the two of them, causing Adrien to shiver underneath his wet clothing. Nino rose to his feet and held a hand out to Adrien.

"Let's head back to the hotel and dry off"

Adrien reached a trembling hand and placed it into Nino's. Nino helped him off the ground, and Adrien kept his eyes glued in the direction of the nearby trees where that strange girl disappeared off to. He retracted his hand from Nino and wrapped his arms around his own body in attempt to stay warm.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Nino commented.

"That girl," Adrien muttered through chattering teeth, "There was some girl in a white dress by my side before you showed up. She saved my life and disappeared"

Nino lifted an eyebrow at his friend, "Have you gone crazy or something? I know it's almost the day of the Qingming Festival, but I don't think that's how it works bud. Let's just go back to the hotel so you can dry off"

Adrien turned back to Nino. Without complaining, he allowed Nino to lead him on the way back to the hotel.

Meanwhile, Marinette had been standing behind a large tree trunk, watching the two young adult boys. She smiled softly as she watched them walk away.

"So his name is Adrien, huh?"

"Girl, what has gotten into you?" Alya's voice said from behind her, "Jumping into the water to save that human boy? You could have gotten caught!"

Marinette turned around to face Alya, who stood there with her arms crossed over her chest. Marinette giggled lightly and leaned her back against the tree trunk.

"At least I can't drown to death," Marinette said, "Besides, there's something about that boy... I can't put my finger on it. It feels like I've seen him somewhere before, too"

Both of Alya's eyebrows shot up so high, Marinette swore they could have popped right out of her head.

"He's a human, Marinette!" Alya exclaimed, "You know that romance between humans and demons can't work out! Not to mention it's extremely dangerous for both parties!"

"He wouldn't know if I was a demon, though, would he?" Marinette asked, "As long as I stay in my human form, nobody could suspect anything. Except maybe a monk, but he doesn't look like he has any association with the monks. I heard him speaking a different language, so he's obviously a foreigner"

Alya let out a sigh of frustration and facepalmed herself. It was no use trying to talk Marinette out of this extremely dangerous choice she was about to make.

Little did Marinette know about the serious consequences that are to come.


	3. 第三章

Adrien stared at his reflection in the mirror, the bright light of the bathroom reflecting off his intense green eyes. Water from his hot shower dripped from his hair and trickled down his bare shoulders and upper body. The hot steam still lingered in the room, making it somewhat difficult to breathe, yet the feeling was oddly comforting.

With a pair of dark gray sweatpants hugging his hips, Adrien grabbed the hotel's white towel and started to ruffle through his wet, golden locks in an attempt to dry them. Small droplets of water flew from his hair in the process.

Adrien removed the towel from his hair, which was now puffy from the friction of the towel. He picked up a plain white T-shirt and threw it over his head before combing down his still-wet hair.

Adrien opened the bathroom door and stepped out, where he was instantly hit by a whoosh of cold air as a result of leaving the steam filled bathroom. He set his soaking clothes in a laundry basket for the room service to take care of before making his way over to his bed. On the other bed, Nino was seated with his laptop in his lap. Adrien jumped onto the soft mattress and laid down on his back.

"Dude, I heard the Qingming Festival starts tomorrow," Nino said with his eyes glued to his laptop screen, "We should go on a nice nature stroll tomorrow"

The Qingming Festival, also known as the Tomb Sweeping Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival that takes place in the spring over the course of three days and is meant for honoring the dead. During this event, people go to the graves of their passed loved ones and freshen up their graves, as well as leave traditional gifts that include food, incense, or joss paper—also known as fake money (they believed that their ancestors need money in the afterlife).

However, above the darkness of death, there is also a light side to this festival. A common tradition is going out and spending time with nature, which is a great way for people to reflect on themselves. Flying kites during the daytime or nighttime is also quite common. Sadness and happiness during this time of year balance each other out like Yin and Yang.

"Sounds like a plan," Adrien muttered.

The blond held a hand to his mouth as his mouth opened up into an audible yawn. He rubbed his watery eyes, just in time for another pillow to suddenly plop down on his face. Adrien took the pillow off his face, sat up on the mattress, and narrowed his eyes at his best friend, who now stood at the door putting his shoes on.

"Where are you going?"

"Get up, we're gonna go shopping," Nino said.

Adrien threw the pillow back onto Nino's bed and put on a black pullover hoodie before climbing off his bed.

"Did you have to throw a pillow at me?" Adrien asked with a small laugh.

Nino shrugged, "Would you rather have it be my laptop? Because I wouldn't. That shit was expensive"

Adrien rolled his eyes with a smile plastered on his lips. He slipped his shoes on and joined Nino at the doorway.

**~•~**

It is now day one in the night of the Qingming Festival. With the citizens of Hangzhou being off from work for three days in a row, the streets were more crowded than usual. People were out and about enjoying their nature outings or visiting their ancestors' graves.

Adrien and Nino have returned to the Broken Bridge of West Lake, where they came across a number of kites that have had their strings cut. These kites were either lying on the ground or flying overhead with bright lanterns attached to them—it is believed that cutting the strings of kites and allowing them to fly freely would ward off diseases and bring good luck.

As the boys walked along the crowded bridge, Adrien and Nino watched in awe as the other visitors on the bridge held their glowing kites below the night sky, giving off a magical sight. In his hands, Nino held two kites that were already lit with lanterns.

Behind the boys, a pair of female snake demons happened to be walking through the crowd underneath the flurry of lanterns. Marinette wanted to see the lanterns floating underneath the stars and was somehow able to convince Alya to come along. Marinette's bluebell eyes sparkled upon the sight of a thousand lights flying in the sky and reflecting their luminescence off the lake. It looked just like a particular scene from a certain Disney princess movie.

Marinette stopped walking when the sound of light metal hitting the floor of the stone bridge rang through her eardrums. She looked on the ground, and just a couple inches in front of her laid a rather large ring. The dazzling orange lights from the lanterns reflected off of its silver coating. She picked up the ring before it could travel any farther from its source and looked ahead of her, where the figure of that handsome blond she saved yesterday walked with his back turned to her.

Marinette remembered seeing this ring on his finger, and he seemed to have no idea it had fallen off. Alya looked over her right shoulder at the ring she just picked up.

"Girl, you should put that back where it came from," Alya said, "Someone could be—"

Before Alya could finish, Marinette took off along the bridge with a light jog. That was when she realized Marinette was running after that blond human.

Adrien and Nino, each holding a kite with a lantern attached to it, leaned against the railing as people all around them were still cutting the strings of their own kites. Nino unraveled his kite, allowing it to fly higher and show off its radiant light.

Adrien was about to let his kite fly, but paused when he realized the ring wrapped around his right ring finger was missing. Panic rose within him, and he drew himself away from the railing, frantically scanning the floor below him for any sign of his beloved ring that had been given to him by his mother.

Before he could cut the string of his kite, Nino looked at his best friend and tilted his head.

"What's wrong, Adrien?"

"My ring," Adrien said quickly, "It's gone!"

His stomach dropped at the thought of losing possibly one of his most prized possessions in the middle of a foreign country. He cursed under his breath in frustration and turned on his phone's flashlight. Before he could look any farther, he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

"Excuse me, I think you dropped this"

Hope flooded over Adrien at the sound of these words. However, the second he turned around, his sense of sight absorbed something rather unexpected. He paused for a moment to take in the sight he was seeing. Right there in front of him stood that girl with midnight blue pigtails dressed in a white hanfu. The girl who had saved him from drowning yesterday.


	4. 第四章

A gentle heat crept upon Adrien's cheeks as he turned his flashlight off and pocketed his phone. His eyes traveled down to his ring that rested in the girl's palm.

"This is yours, right?" The girl asked.

"Yeah, thank you," Adrien responded shyly.

He took the ring from the girl's hand and slipped it back onto his ring finger. Adrien looked back at the girl, who shot him the cutest smile he's ever seen in his life. The way her eyes crinkled and the way her lips curved upwards brought butterflies to his stomach. Above all the kites and lanterns flying around them, her smile shined brighter.

"Well, I suppose I should head back," the girl said and turned around, "Nice seeing you again—"

"Wait!"

Marinette stopped and looked back over her shoulder when she felt Adrien's fingers close in around her wrist. She blushed slightly at this unexpected contact. Adrien's fingers fidgeted with the material of the kite in his other hand as he looked at their hands in embarrassment.

"I... We met yesterday, haven't we?" Adrien muttered, "I wanted to... To thank you for saving me back there"

"Of course," Marinette shot him a smile, "Just be careful next time, I may not always be there to save you"

"Yeah... Right," Adrien blushed, "Wanna stay here with us? We could use some company"

Marinette's eyebrows rose as Adrien gestured to Nino, who was now cutting the string of his kite and letting it fly freely with the nighttime wind.

"That's Nino by the way," Adrien said, "You don't have to, but—"

"I'd love to," Marinette interrupted, "It's just that—"

"Marinette, don't just run off like that!"

At this point, Nino had turned his head around at the sound of Adrien mentioning his name. Adrien, Marinette, and Nino were now looking at what seemed like a ticked off Alya standing with her hands on her hips. Marinette drew her wrist out of Adrien's grasp and turned around to face Alya, not making eye contact with the disappointed girl. She awkwardly fumbled with her fingers as she spoke to her.

"Sorry, Alya," Marinette mumbled, "This boy lost his ring, so I wanted to return it"

"Please don't blame her," Adrien cut in, "It's my fault. You can take her back"

Alya nodded at the blond human boy and took Marinette by the elbow. Alya wasn't opposed to Marinette coming here as long as she didn't interact with other humans, and she agreed not to do so. And yet, here she was, talking to none other than that foreigner from yesterday who probably can't even swim.

Before Alya could take Marinette away, a fourth male voice chimed in, causing Alya to stop what she was doing and admire the owner of that voice.

"Guys, what's happening here?" Nino asked, "Bro, who are these chicks?"

Alya retracted her hand from Marinette's elbow and rubbed the back of her neck, laughing awkwardly in the process. A small blush reddened her cheeks as she looked at the tan-skinned boy standing in front of her.

"Umm, hi. I'm Alya"

Alya held her hand out to Nino, who gripped it in his hand and shook it gently. He was slightly taken aback at the fact that she understood what he was saying. He didn't think anyone spoke French here, but she didn't look like she was from here after all.

"This is Marinette," Alya gestured to the bluenette next to her.

Marinette looked at Alya and lifted an eyebrow, confused as to what Alya was doing. She didn't need a translator to understand what was happening between those two. Wasn't Alya the one who was opposed to interacting with humans?

Adrien and Nino briefly introduced themselves to the girls before Adrien looked down at the kite that was still gripped between his fingers, waiting to fly with all the others. The crowd on the bridge was beginning to thin out as people cut the string of their kites to finish off the first day of the Qingming Festival.

"We'd love to stay with you two, actually," Alya said to Adrien.

Marinette blinked at her best friend. She made a mental note to ask Alya what the hell all of that was about.

"I mean, we probably won't be here for much longer," Adrien shrugged, "But feel free to join us"

At this point, Alya and Nino had broken into conversation right next to them. Marinette couldn't understand a single word they were saying, but she could tell from the way they smiled that they were hitting it off. Before Adrien or Marinette could get their attention, Alya hooked her arm with Nino's. The (possibly) new couple turned their backs to their friends and began walking off.

"Nino! Don't go too far, it's getting late!" Adrien yelled after them, "Meet back here in twenty minutes at the most, alright?"

"Okay!"

Marinette stood there, her feet glued to the floor as she watched Alya and Nino walk away. She had no words to describe her emotions at that moment. She wasn't necessarily angry at Alya. She was somewhat disappointed with her for breaking her own rule. But at the same time, she at least had someone to tease Alya about when she came back.

Adrien gently tapped Marinette on the shoulder to take her attention off of them, and the midnight haired girl looked at him. At this point, the bridge was almost empty, disregarding the few people who were still watching the kites and lanterns.

"Let's go over to the railing, it's a better view. I won't fall again, I promise," Adrien said with a laugh.

Marinette giggled in return and followed Adrien to the railing, where the two of them leaned against the cold stone. The sound of cicadas rang through the chilly nighttime air, given how eerily quiet the bridge has gotten once people have left.

Adrien brought up his gold kite that had a red Chinese lantern attached to it. He unraveled the string, allowing the kite to ascend higher and higher into the air and join the other kites in illuminating the darkness. Adrien looked at Marinette, who gave her full attention to the few lights that still hung around. He smiled softly as he admired the way the wind blew her dark blue hair out of her face and ruffled through her dress.

"Hey," Adrien nudged her, "Do you want to hold it, too?"

Marinette blushed. Her pale pink lips parted as her thoughts raced to find the right words to say.

"Umm, I..."

Without giving her time to answer, Adrien took her hand and placed it on the string right above his other hand. At that moment, the two of then turned to look at each other. Adrien kept his hand on top of hers as the orange glow of the lantern reflected off their eyes and facial features. Both of their cheeks radiated a gentle heat as their eyes met. Adrien was standing so close to her that Marinette could feel his body warmth and hear his breathing right next to her ear.

Their closeness made her comfortable rather than nervous, and she could feel that same energy coming from him.


	5. 第五章

Adrien took his hand off of Marinette's and looked back up at their kite, which was now being held by the two of them. Although their eye contact has been broken, a warm feeling still stirred up within their chests from each other's presence.

"Is there anyone you want to honor during this festival?" Marinette asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, I can't exactly honor her because she was buried back in Paris," Adrien began, "But my mom passed away when I was really young. I don't know how she died, though"

"I'm sorry to hear that," Marinette replied softly.

"The only memory I have of her was the day she gave me my ring," Adrien rotated his hand that held the string to show it to Marinette, "That ring is special to me, so I'm really glad that you found it"

Marinette hummed softly and moved her hand down the string until it came into contact with his hand that was much larger than hers.

"May I?"

Adrien gave her a nod. Marinette placed her hand on top of his and examined the ring that seemed to be made of pure silver. She rotated it back and forth around his finger, watching it glisten in the dark.

"What about you?" Adrien cut in, "Are you honoring anyone specific?"

Marinette used her free hand to push her bangs out of her face. She was a demon, how was she supposed to answer that question? She had no family or ancestors, except for Alya, who was like a sister to Marinette. But Alya didn't count, she was her best friend.

"Well, not quite," Marinette responded, "It's... Hard to explain"

Adrien nodded. He decided not to make her explain any farther. He could tell from her tone that she wasn't comfortable with talking about it.

"We should probably cut the string before Nino comes back," Adrien said, changing the topic.

That was when a realization hit him, and a blank stare washed over his expression. Marinette tilted her head at him.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nino has the scissors"

Marinette's eyes traveled upwards from their hands to the kite that was still waiting to fly freely with the others. An idea popped into her head, and she looked back at Adrien.

"Close your eyes"

Adrien blinked, "What?"

"Close your eyes," Marinette repeated with a smile, "Just trust me. No peeking"

Adrien nodded and did as he was told. Once she was sure his eyes were shut tight, Marinette took her hand off of his, where her index finger shape shifted to resemble a sharp blade. Using her finger, she made a clean, effortless cut through the string, where it began to slip away from the other end of the string. Her finger turned back to normal as she smiled up at the kite.

"You can open your eyes now"

Adrien's eyelids opened up, bringing his vision back from the darkness to the kite that was now flying away with the other lights, imitating the sky of a starry night. His eyes twinkled at the sight, and his mouth parted in a big smile.

"How did you do that?"

Marinette shrugged, "I guess you can say it's a Chinese secret"

Adrien laughed lightly at her response. At this point, him and Marinette were the only two people left on the bridge. Their surroundings were growing dimmer with each passing moment as the lights traveled farther and farther, going wherever the wind wanted to take them.

Unexpectedly, Adrien felt something warm gently land on his shoulder. He turned his head to find Marinette resting her head on his shoulder. Adrien didn't mind, though. He wrapped his arm over her shoulders and rested his head atop hers as the two of them watched the last of the lights disappear from view.

~

Adrien woke up the next morning to a series of knocks on their hotel bedroom door. Before he could even slip out of his covers, Nino had already risen from the other bed.

"I got it, don't worry," Nino said with a yawn.

As Nino walked past his bed to reach the door, Adrien pulled the white covers over his head and relaxed back into the mattress. Voices muttered from the doorway, but Adrien was too tired to pay attention to them. It was probably either room service or his father. Adrien closed his eyes and attempted to drift back to sleep, but was prevented from doing so when, once again, Nino's pillow landed on him. He guessed this was Nino's new way of telling him to get his ass out of bed. Groaning, Adrien threw the blanket off of him, along with the pillow, and sat up.

"Jesus, what now?" Adrien snapped tiredly.

"Alya and Marinette stopped by just now. I told Alya which hotel room we were staying at in case you were wondering," Nino said as he rummaged through his suitcase, "They're waiting outside. They're inviting us to go get breakfast with them"

Adrien perked up, "Marinette?"

The mention of Marinette's name caught Adrien's attention. He didn't care if it was eight in the morning, he was excited to see her again. He swiftly jumped out of bed, not bothering to make it. Adrien gathered up some clothes from his suitcase and ran to the bathroom to get ready before Nino could. Nino blinked, then tilted his head. What was with that rush just now?

Adrien had a special skill of getting ready in the snap of a finger. He learned how to change quickly when he was a teen model back in the day, and it just stuck with him. He figured it was useful for when he was running late.

In the bathroom, Adrien was already dressed in his daytime clothes and running a comb through his messy bed head. He sprayed some cologne on his neck, considering it was Marinette he was about to spend the day with. With a rehearsed smile on his lips, Adrien checked himself out in the mirror one last time, examining his appearance from a variety of different angles and making small adjustments.

Once he was satisfied with his look, Adrien pulled the bathroom door open and jumped in surprise when he saw Nino standing right in front of him with his arms folded.

"Do you have a thing for Marinette or something?" Nino asked with a smirk.

Adrien rolled his eyes at that question. Without answering, he walked right past Nino with his pajamas bunched up in his arms.

"Says the one who walked off with some girl last night," Adrien mumbled.

He couldn't deny Nino's suspicions, though. There was something about Marinette that made him feel warm and giddy on the inside whenever he thought about her.

However, at the same time, his gut told him otherwise that he shouldn't try to pursue her. And he didn't know which feeling to listen to.


	6. 第六章

"Care to explain yourself, Alya?" Marinette asked the second she stepped through the doorway of their small home.

"I'm so sorry!" Alya said, "I couldn't help myself! I know I said not to interact with humans, but—"

Marinette smirked, "You like that boy, don't you?"

Alya's face grew as red as her dyed tips. Marinette burst into laughter at her reaction. She was gonna have fun teasing her about Nino.

"Well, what about Adrien?" Alya retaliated, "You have feelings for him, don't you?"

Marinette rouged at Alya's question. Now it was Alya's turn to laugh. They couldn't believe themselves. The two snake demons were falling for humans. Foreigners to be exact.

"Come on, get some sleep. We're seeing them again tomorrow," Alya said.

Marinette blinked, "Wait, what?"

Alya nodded, "We're heading over to their hotel tomorrow. Nino told me where they're staying"

The thought of seeing Adrien again brought Marinette over cloud nine. Jumping with excitement, Marinette shape shifted into a giant, pure white serpent that took up the length of one end of the house to the other. Careful not to break anything, the serpent curled up into a ball in the corner of the room and tried to drift off to sleep. However, her excitement kept her awake for the whole night.

~

After that night on the Broken Bridge, Alya seemed to have changed her mind about humans. She used to believe that they were just pathetic, no good beings. It wasn't until she met Nino that she realized they weren't so bad. Before, she wanted nothing to do with them. Now, here she was, waiting outside their hotel room to spend the day with them.

Marinette couldn't say she was necessarily angry or disappointed with Alya. As a matter of fact, she was the opposite of angry. She wanted to see Adrien again.

The door in front of them swung open, revealing Adrien and Nino. Immediately, Alya threw her arms around Nino's neck and pulled him in for a hug, which Nino returned. Adrien and Marinette smiled at the two of them. It seemed like they really hit it off. Adrien closed the door behind him and locked the door before turning to Marinette.

"So, where are we going?" Adrien asked.

"There's a good bakery just down the street from here," Marinette said, "The roads are super crowded, so we can just walk. I don't recommend taking the taxi or bus during this time of year"

"You girls can lead the way then," Adrien said.

~

Not too far from West Lake, Gabriel walked amongst the stone steps of the Leifeng Pagoda with a monk by his side. The semi cold wind of early spring rustled through the tall trees that surrounded them.

"I've been hearing rumors about the white snake demon being present in this city," Gabriel said.

"I've been sensing its energy, yes," Fa Hai responded, "But whenever I get close to catching it, it manages to escape. It's proven itself to be a tough opponent"

"And that's exactly why I came here," Gabriel said, "I want to help you get rid of it"

Fa Hai stopped in his tracks. The wind ruffled through his dark orange robe as the monk looked at this foreigner that stood by his side.

"You have to be careful, though," Fa Hai muttered, "This spirit is dangerous, especially in its true form"

"How do you suggest we take it out?" Gabriel asked.

"The white snake demon often takes the form of a young girl in a white dress," Fa Hai explained, "You should be able to sense when the demon is nearby"

~

The four young adults strolled through the botanical garden, laughing with one another and enjoying the nature scenery. Even though there was a language barrier between her and Nino, Marinette enjoyed his presence. Though, she did feel embarrassed about being the only one in their group who couldn't speak French. Likewise, Nino couldn't speak Mandarin. Communication was hard for those two, but with the help of Adrien and Alya, they were able to make their newfound friendship work out.

Marinette stopped mid-laugh and came to a halt when she heard a child crying. She looked at a nearby tree, where a little girl stood underneath. Trapped within the tree's branches was a pink kite. Adrien, Alya, and Nino all looked at the white snake with curiosity.

Marinette dashed away from her group and headed right for the tree. The little girl wiped her tears away when she saw her approaching. Swiftly yet gracefully, the bluenette climbed up the tree and retrieved the kite. Marinette jumped down and landed right in front of the girl. With a smile, she knelt down and held the undamaged kite out for the little girl to take.

"Where are your parents?" Marinette asked softly, "You should stay close to them, it's easy to get lost in the crowd during this festival"

From a near distance, Adrien's pupils dilated at the scene. He admired the way Marinette helped and comforted the little girl. His heart raced at the sight of her and the little girl laughing together. Like Marinette had done something to cheer her up. He imagined her being someone's favorite babysitter, she seemed like she was good with kids. Or, perhaps, she would make a great mother for their—

Woah there. What was he thinking? Adrien quickly broke his train of thought. He just met this girl, and all of a sudden he was already picturing a family with her. What was wrong with him? Maybe he drank too much rice wine earlier. He did feel a bit light headed after all. Yeah, that must be it.

A man and a woman soon approached Marinette and the girl. Adrien watched as the couple retrieved their daughter from Marinette and walked off. Skipping joyfully, Marinette returned to her friends, where Adrien still looked at her as if she were a shooting star that could grant his wishes. Alya and Marinette walked ahead of the boys, and Adrien could not take his eyes off of her. Nino noticed Adrien in his daze and nudged him with his elbow.

"You might want to get your feet moving," Nino suggested, "If you want to be closer to Marinette that is"

Adrien snapped out of his daydream and looked at the ground in embarrassment. Nino laughed and grabbed Adrien by the arm, pulling him along as he jogged to catch up with the girls.

Adrien didn't know what that uneasy gut feeling was trying to tell him, but he did know that his feeling of love was stronger.

If only he knew what was coming for him.


	7. 第七章

While Alya and Nino went off on their own, Adrien and Marinette sat down in the grass underneath the sun's gentle warmth. The somewhat chilly spring wind passed through the garden, filling the air with a mixture of warm and cold temperatures.

"You did karaoke while drunk?!" Marinette laughed.

Adrien shyly rubbed the back of his neck, "Nino has the video, but yeah. He said I was pretty drunk that night. It was a graduation party after all"

With a smile still plastered upon her lips, Marinette let out a small chuckle and moved her bangs behind her ear. Adrien looked at her and leaned in closer, reaching a hand to one of her pigtails.

"You should let your hair down," Adrien suggested.

Marinette blinked as a light, rosy tint crept among her cheeks. She quickly shot her head away, not daring to look into his eyes as she fidgeted with her dark blue bangs.

"Umm, I... I don't know," Marinette muttered shyly, "I don't... Really like my hair"

Adrien frowned at her statement, "What don't you like about your hair?"

Marinette shrugged and kept her eyes on the small lake in front of them, watching it glisten underneath the sunlight as the surrounding trees and blue skies reflected their image off of the water.

"I guess... The color?" Marinette responded, "It just feels off. My hair is supposed to be black, but it looks more like dark blue to everyone. I feel like an outlier, being the only one with this hair color"

Adrien brought his hand closer to her pigtail, hovering just a fingertip away from the blue strands.

"Are you okay with me touching it?" Adrien asked, "I don't want to make you uncomfortable"

Marinette nodded, still not looking at him, "Go ahead"

With her permission, Adrien gently held the tied-up strands of midnight hair between his fingers. He admired the way it reflected a purplish blue hue underneath the sunlight as its soft silkiness melted in his hand.

"I love your hair color," Adrien said softly, "It's unique. This is your natural hair color, isn't it?"

After hearing his words, Marinette's cheeks grew from pink to light red. She fidgeted with the thin grass blades between her fingers and gave him another nervous nod. Before she knew it, she felt the tension in her pigtail loosen as the hair tie slid down her hair until it reached the ends. Marinette perked up and held a hand to the section of loose hair that was once tied in a low pigtail.

"Your hair is beautiful, Marinette," Adrien smiled as he untied the other pigtail, "You shouldn't be insecure about it, being different is not a bad thing"

Marinette's face fell, both from embarrassment and because of his words. If only he knew that she really was different. Not just in terms of hair color, but also the way she was born. She wasn't even human, she was a demon in the form of a human.

Adrien watched her hair shine under the sun as he ran his fingers through her loose strands, getting rid of any knots and dents that were present from the tension of the hair ties. Marinette found an odd feeling of comfort in the feeling of his fingers running through her hair. She wished he could do this forever, but the feeling was short lived when Adrien scooted back to sit by her side again.

Adrien placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her attention to the lake, where the image of a girl in a white dress sitting next to a young, handsome blond reflected back at her. Only this time, her medium length midnight hair fell loosely over her shoulders.

"See what I mean?" Adrien asked, "You're beautiful in general, inside and out"

Beautiful. He thought she was beautiful. Although flattered by the compliment, she couldn't help but wonder if he would still think she was beautiful if he knew what she really was. If he saw her true form, an inhumanely gigantic white serpent, he would surely change his mind. Just thinking about that made her heart sink.

Adrien noticed her down face in her reflection on the water. He tilted his head and looked at her, concern building up inside him.

"Is everything okay?" Adrien asked, "Do you want your hair ties back?"

Marinette shook her head and flashed him a smile, "Everything's fine, don't worry"

However, Adrien knew right away that it was fake, for he has had experience with faking smiles himself. Both for his photoshoots from his teenage years and in his everyday life.

Adrien slid his hands off her shoulders and gripped both of her hands in his. Marinette's plastic smile faded and turned into a surprised face as her eyes met Adrien's. Heat flooded her cheeks at how close their faces were at that moment, and she hoped that they weren't as red as her body temperature made her feel they were.

"I know you're lying, Marinette," Adrien said, "We may not have known each other for very long, but I know a fake smile when I see one"

Whatever was bothering her, he wanted to be there for her. He wanted to break down her walls no matter how high she builds them up.

Even though they've just met, Marinette felt as if they've known each other for years. She felt comfortable around him, and she admired the way he cared for her. But now that she's looking right into his eyes, their unique color has left her speechless. His eyes held warmth in them, sincerity.

But no matter how comfortable she was with him, she couldn't tell him something like this. No human should know that her and Alya were demons, especially since Marinette has been hunted for years. She couldn't risk it. Falling in love with a human was one thing, but him finding out the truth about her could only lead to bigger problems.

A beep emerged from nearby, causing the two of them to jump and break eye contact. Adrien apologized briefly before reaching into his pocket to grab his phone. He frowned when he read the text message, but was also uplifted in a way. Sad that he had to part with Marinette, but happy that his father wanted to have him come over. He quickly called Nino and held his phone to his ear. After three rings, his best friend's voice emerged on the other side.

"Hey dude, how's it going with Marinette?"

Adrien chuckled at his question, "It's going good, but can you come back over here? My father wants to see us"

A brief moment of dead silence filled the void.

"Dude, this is a great chance to introduce Marinette to your father!" Nino said.

Adrien blushed. He could tell that Nino was smirking on the other end.

"W-What?"

"Sorry, gotta go dude. Hope your father approves of your girl," Nino said quickly, "I'll meet you back at the hotel tonight"

"Nino, wait—"

Call ended.

Adrien grunted in frustration and took his phone off his ear. He texted his father back before closing his phone and letting out a long sigh.

"What was that?" Marinette asked.

"Just Nino being a shipper," Adrien mumbled, hoping he was quiet enough that Marinette didn't hear him.

His phone beeped again, and his father's name popped up onscreen. Adrien read over his text message and nervously looked back at Marinette.

"I'm sorry that this is _very_ sudden," Adrien began, "But looks like you're about to meet my father"


	8. 第八章

"Umm, why am I here again?" Marinette asked shyly.

"Well, Nino, being the crazy shipper he is, probably won't stop bothering me unless I brought you along," Adrien laughed.

Marinette giggled, "Are you sure your father is okay with this?"

"He said it's fine, so don't worry. And I'm sure he'll like you," Adrien smiled, "Who wouldn't?"

Marinette blushed at his statement. She fidgeted nervously with her loose strands that still hung over her shoulders.

"I didn't bring a gift, though"

"No worries, you don't need to bring one. Besides, I remember you saying you want to be a fashion designer," Adrien said as he knocked on the door, "Fun fact: my father is a fashion designer. You can probably ask him questions"

The front door opened, revealing a tall man with gray hair and glasses. The second she laid eyes on him, Marinette's gut twisted in unease. Something about him was off. Terribly off. His eyes spoke hatred as he looked at her. Just his presence gave her the sense that she wasn't safe here, that she needs to make a run for it.

"Hey Father," Adrien said, "This is Marinette"

Gabriel ignored his son and narrowed his eyes at Marinette, who trembled with fear. He sensed a rather powerful and dark energy radiating off of her—something inhumane. He remembered what Fa Hai had told him about the white snake demon. She takes the form of a young girl in a white dress. It was no doubt, his son had brought the white snake demon to him.

But as much as he was tempted to, he knew more than to try and exterminate her right there in front of his son. After all, that was mainly Fa Hai's job. Gabriel was just helping him find the demon.

Adrien's eyes darted between his father and Marinette. Neither of them made a single movement or said a single word to each other. Instead, they just stood there looking at each other in silence. This awkward yet intense atmosphere left Adrien feeling anxious.

"Guys, what's going on?" Adrien asked.

Marinette shakily formed a fist with her left hand and placed her right hand on top of it. She awkwardly raised her hand gesture up to her chest and formed a trembling smile as she kept her eyes on Gabriel.

"Umm, nice to meet you, Sir," Marinette said shakily, not breaking her fist and palm salute.

Gabriel's expression remained cold as he returned her greeting but with his right hand in a fist and left hand on top. Marinette lowered her hands and turned to Adrien, giving him an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, I think I need to go," Marinette said, "I really wish I could stay longer"

"Marinette, wait—"

Without giving an explanation or letting Adrien say a word to her, Marinette turned around and took off into a sprint. Gabriel stood next to Adrien with his hands behind his back as the two of them watched the bluenette turn a corner and disappear.

"Come inside, Adrien," Gabriel said.

Adrien nodded and followed Gabriel into the small, single story house. Gabriel took a seat on the couch and rested his elbows on his knees while Adrien remained standing. At that moment, his thoughts were filled with questions as to what the hell all of that was about.

"Her name is Marinette, correct?" Gabriel asked.

Adrien nodded in response.

"Is she your girlfriend by any chance?"

Adrien blushed at his father's unexpected question. He placed his hands in his jean pockets and kept his gaze on the wooden floor.

"Well... Not exactly," Adrien scratched the back of his head, "I don't know, actually"

"Do you love her, Adrien? I want an honest answer," Gabriel's tone of voice was serious and showed no hint of admiration in it.

Adrien nervously bit his bottom lip. Maybe it was normal to be nervous when asked a question like that, but Adrien felt a different kind of nervous. It was more like anxiety and restlessness, given the tone that his father was speaking in.

"Yes," Adrien muttered, "I do love her"

Gabriel's silver eyebrows lifted upon hearing his son's response. Adrien took his eyes off the floor and finally gathered up the courage to look at his father.

"Is there something wrong?" Adrien asked.

Gabriel sighed and slid his glasses off. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and leaned back on the couch.

"Do you want to know why I want to kill the white snake demon?" Gabriel asked all of a sudden.

"For the last time, it's just a myth, Father," Adrien mumbled, "And why are you bringing this up all of a sudden? We were talking about Marinette"

Marinette, also known as the white snake demon. But Adrien had no idea it was real, and Marinette was the last person he'd suspect.

Without answering his question, Gabriel continued to speak.

"Well, you want to know how your mother died, don't you?" Gabriel asked.

That question caught Adrien's attention. The only information he had about his mother's death was that she died when he was very young—too young to have any memories of her. Except for his ring, of course.

"Yes," Adrien replied, "Please tell me, I've been wondering that for my whole life"

Gabriel slid his glasses back on his face and folded his hands in his lap.

"It was the white snake," Gabriel mumbled, "The white snake killed her"

Adrien's eyes widened. Thoughts raced in his head upon hearing this news. The white snake killed his mother? Why was he just now getting this information? Why has he lived his whole life knowing very little to no information about his mother?

Then, another thought outcompeted all the other thoughts. His father was just trying to get him to believe the demon was real, wasn't he? Perhaps he's trying to get Adrien to help him.

"What is this, _Moby_ _Dick_ _?"_ Adrien snapped, "The white snake is not real, it couldn't have killed Mom. Maybe you were drunk that day"

Adrien whispered the last part. To his relief, Gabriel didn't hear it. Gabriel exhaled and adjusted his glasses.

"I was there, Adrien. I know what happened," Gabriel said, "I think you've made it clear that you won't listen to me"

Gabriel looked at his son and stood up from the couch. Adrien clenched his fists as his father took a step towards him.

"After all, you were just an infant when she died. You couldn't possibly love her"

At the sound of his words, rage boiled inside Adrien. He clenched his fists even tighter, turning his knuckles white as they trembled at his sides.

"I don't love her?" Adrien raised his voice, "I don't love her?! She was my mother! Just because I grew up without her in my life doesn't mean I don't love her!"

Now it was Gabriel's turn to clench his fists.

"You don't understand, Adrien!"

"What don't I understand?!" Adrien shouted, "I love and miss her just as much as you do!"

"Then listen to me!" Gabriel yelled back, "What is it that's keeping you from believing my words?"

"Well, what kept you from telling me about her until now?" Adrien snapped back, "I deserve to know information about my mother!"

"And I'm giving you information now!"

"Well, your information sounds like bullshit from a fairytale!"

Adrien turned his back to Gabriel and headed for the door. He pulled it open and stood in front of the doorway as the cold wind blew into the house.

"One more thing," Adrien lowered his voice, "If you want me to believe that there really is such thing as a white snake demon, you're gonna need some proof"

Without another word, Adrien stepped through the doorway and slammed the door shut behind him, leaving Gabriel in the middle of a small, empty house.

Evidence. His son wanted evidence. Luckily, now that he knows who the white snake is, he knows exactly how to prove that this demon is real.


	9. 第九章

"I encountered the white snake not too long ago, she goes by the name Marinette," Gabriel explained, "Turns out my son is in love with her"

Fa Hai nodded, "It may be safe to start coming up with a plan now that we know her human form"

"But before you do anything to her, you need to make my son fall out of love first," Gabriel said, "I don't want him to grieve over her like I did with Emilie"

"Don't worry," Fa Hai said, "I have a plan for that, too"

~

Adrien entered the hotel room and shut the door behind him. He threw his shoes off in front of the door and angrily walked over to his bed. Nino was seated at the table on his laptop when he noticed his best friend looking rather upset.

"Is everything alright?" Nino asked.

"No," Adrien said firmly, "I've had it with my father"

Adrien sat down on the edge of his bed and sighed heavily. Nino paused the game he was playing and walked over to his own bed, where he settled down in front of the upset blond.

"I'm listening," Nino said.

"Before you ask, it has nothing to do with Marinette"

Adrien paused for a second.

"Well, maybe a little bit, but I'm not sure. But basically I got into an argument with my father"

Nino frowned, "I'm sorry, man. You don't have to tell me any details if you don't want to"

"Our argument isn't the only thing, though," Adrien sighed, "I don't know what happened, but when my father met Marinette, the atmosphere just felt really... Off. I knew my father was pretty cold himself, but I've never seen him like this before. And I knew that Marinette felt that way, too, because she left in a hurry"

Nino removed his hat from his head and ran a hand over his short hair. He set his hat on the bed behind him and turned back to Adrien, trying to process what he just heard.

"Hold on," Nino began, "So basically your father scared her off?"

Adrien shrugged, "I guess you can put it that way. But I'm kind of worried now. What if she doesn't want to see me anymore because of my father?"

Nino reached out to his best friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. Adrien gazed up at him, and the edges of Nino's lips perked up slightly.

"You should still talk to her," Nino suggested, "You love her, right?"

Adrien's cheeks grew a dark crimson color as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. He let out a small laugh as he darted his eyes to the small table between their beds.

"No need to be embarrassed, my dude," Nino said, "I won't make fun of you either. It's only gonna be worse if you deny it, so—"

"I'm in love with her," Adrien said quickly, "I love her so much, Nino. I don't know what it is about her, but she's just... Different from all the other girls I've dated in the past. She makes me feel comfortable instead of nervous, and I just feel like I can be myself around her. I know it's ridiculous considering we haven't known each other for very long, but it already feels like I've known her forever"

Nino's smile only grew wider upon hearing Adrien talk about his feelings for Marinette. He loved her, no doubt it was love at first sight.

"Then go to her," Nino said.

Adrien sighed and shook his head, "I don't know where she lives, though"

He wished he had at least some idea about her whereabouts. The only thing he knew was that she most likely lived close to the lake.

Shortly after he said that, a bright yellow lightbulb emerged above Adrien's head. He sat up straight while a thought came into mind on where Marinette could possibly be.

"Unless..."

Adrien swiftly rose from the bed and ran to the doorway to put his shoes back on. Nino stood up from his bed and watched his best friend with a raised eyebrow and a smile still on his lips.

"You know where to go?" Nino asked.

"I think so," Adrien said as he slipped his other shoe on, "I hope so"

Nino walked over to Adrien and stopped right next to him.

"Want me to come, too?"

Adrien shook his head, "I'm good, but thank you"

"Well, good luck then," Nino held his fist out to Adrien.

Adrien straightened up after tying his shoelace and formed a fist of his own. The young adults exchanged a fist bump, and Adrien headed for the door.

"Stay safe, bro"

Adrien nodded. He pulled the door open and stepped out into the hallway.

~

"Go to him," Alya said.

Marinette shook her head, "His father is the problem. I don't know what it is about him, but he just makes me feel... Uneasy"

"But you love Adrien, don't you?" Alya asked, "Besides, if anyone tries to hurt you, I'll be sure to kick their ass"

Marinette let out a small laugh, "What happened to the overprotective Alya I used to know?"

"Well, I've realized that ever since you met Adrien, you're a lot happier now. He even got you to leave your hair loose, which you haven't done in _years_ ," Alya said, "Even though he's a human, I'll make an exception for him. If he makes you happy, then I'll support you. However, I would still advise that you be careful, especially now with the situation regarding his father"

Marinette stood up from the table and headed for the front door. She took one last glance at Alya and flashed her a smile.

"I'll be careful," Marinette said, "I promise"

~

Marinette strolled through the city of Hangzhou, squeezing through crowds of people. She wasn't guaranteed to find him at her desired destination, but she figured it was worth a try. Marinette turned a corner, where she found herself in a more isolated part of town. As she continued walking, she heard footsteps approach from behind. A chill spread through her upper body, and she looked back over her shoulder. Right there behind her stood Gabriel Agreste. Panic rose inside her, and she accelerated into a run. The footsteps behind her accelerated with her, causing her heart to race. Both due to her sprint and because of fear.

Marinette turned another corner, only to find herself in a dead end. She turned around, and Gabriel was walking towards her at this point. Breathing heavily, Marinette took a couple steps backwards until her back hit something cold and hard. Her eyes widened in fear as Gabriel kept coming closer.

"Leave me alone!" Marinette yelled, "I've done nothing wrong!"

Gabriel stopped a couple feet in front of the bluenette.

"Care to explain your relationship with my son?" Gabriel asked.

"We... We don't have anything going on between us," Marinette admitted, although it pained her to say that.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure, Madame White Snake? My son is in love with you"

Marinette's eyes widened, "What?"

Gabriel nodded, "But the real question is, would he still love you if he knew the truth about you?"

Gabriel took one step closer to Marinette, but still kept his distance from her. She could shape shift and lash out at him any moment.

"Would he still love you if he knew what you are?" Gabriel continued, "If he knew you were a _snake_ _?"_

_If he knew she was responsible for his mother's death?_

Tears trailed down Marinette's face at the sound of his words. She asked herself those questions all the time. At that moment, she wanted to unleash her serpent form and kill him right there. But she couldn't do that. He was Adrien's father, and he already lost his mother.

"Just stop," Marinette said through tears, "Let Adrien be happy, he's suffered enough already. He loves me and I love him, we're not hurting anyone!"

Gabriel gritted his teeth and turned his back to her. He didn't bother looking back at her as he began walking away.

"I'll let you go for now," Gabriel said, "It's not my job to kill you anyways"

Once Gabriel turned the corner, Marinette sank down to her knees. She held her hands to her face and silently sobbed into them.


	10. 第十章

Marinette stepped onto the Broken Bridge and began walking. The bridge was empty once again, save for the few tourists leaning against the railing. Marinette didn't mind the emptiness, she preferred it that way anyways. She looked around the bridge, and her blue eyes stopped scanning the bridge when she spotted the handsome blond she had been looking for with his elbows against the stone railing.

Marinette made his way over to him and joined him on the railing. Adrien's eyes darted to her the second he sensed her presence right next to him. His pupils widened, and he smiled softly at the sight of her.

"I had a feeling I'd see you here," Adrien said.

Marinette smiled back, but her smile faded right away. Adrien, upon seeing this, scooted closer to her until their shoulders touched. He tilted his head to get a better look at her, and her beautiful blue eyes were no longer shining the way he remembered. Instead, they shined with stray tears that tinted the whites of her eyes light red. Like she had been crying.

"What's wrong?" Adrien asked.

Marinette took a deep, shaky breath, "Adrien, do you love me?"

"Of course I do," Adrien said without hesitation, "I love you more than words can express"

Marinette sniffed as tears reawakened in her eyes. She wiped them away as they pooled out, only for them to keep flowing down her cheeks nonstop.

"Would you still love me if... If I turned out to be... Not who you think I am?" Marinette asked through tears.

Adrien turned his body to face her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Marinette looked at him with tears in her eyes, a sight that broke him to witness.

"Marinette, I don't know what you're trying to tell me, but the answer is still yes," Adrien said softly, "I love you for who you are, and I don't care if my father disapproves of you"

 _He's_ _an_ _ass_ _anyways_ _._

Marinette wiped away what tears remained and threw her arms around Adrien's waist. Adrien nearly toppled backwards from the sudden impact of her embrace, but he regained his balance and wrapped his arms over her shoulders nonetheless. Marinette sobbed into his warm chest while Adrien rubbed her back in comfort.

"Will you love me... No matter what?" Marinette asked.

Adrien rested his chin on top of her head, engulfing her in the comforting warmth of his body. He closed his eyes as her warm tears soaked through his shirt.

"Yes," Adrien replied under his breath, "I'll love you no matter what, Marinette. I love everything about you, so don't forget that"

Marinette gripped the back of his shirt between her fists as her tears began to slow down their flow. She sniffed through tears while Adrien still held her as tightly as he could, not wanting to let go until she did.

"Adrien," Marinette whimpered, "I love you so much"

Adrien's lips twitched into a small smile as he hummed softly into her hair. The sound of his voice brought comfort to her as she felt his chest rise and fall at a steady rate. Her breathing synced with his while his heart thumped gently against her head. She closed her eyes as she rested the side of her head against his chest, listening to his calming and gentle heartbeat.

~

By the time Adrien was on his way back to the hotel, the moon and stars have risen in the dark sky. The city lights have sprung to life as Adrien walked underneath them with his hands in his jean pockets. A few people were still roaming out and about as cars drove by with their headlights shining brightly with the city lights.

While minding his own business, Adrien's feet came to a halt when he heard a foreign voice call his name from behind.

"Adrien Agreste?"

Adrien turned his entire body around to face the owner of this voice. He was expecting it to be a fan of his from his modeling days, but a monk wearing a dark orange robe stood in front of him instead.

"Yes, that's me"

Adrien placed both of his palms together in front of his chest and dipped his head upon seeing this monk. The monk returned his greeting.

"I just came to warn you about the white snake demon," Fa Hai said.

Adrien blinked. He had to stop himself from rolling his eyes, as that would have been disrespectful. He knew how much the Chinese respected their elders, not to mention this was a _monk_ he was talking to.

"I'm sorry, Dà Yé, but I'm afraid I don't believe in the white snake," Adrien said.

Fa Hai remained calm as he continued to speak.

"I respect your opinion, Xiǎo Huǒzi," the monk said, "Not everyone believes in demons, but you should still be careful. The demon is closer to you than you think"

Adrien froze. He still wasn't sure whether he should believe the monk's words or not, but just the sound of those words sent a chill through his spine.

"Elaborate?" Adrien requested.

"Be careful of the young woman in a white dress," Fa Hai warned.

Adrien furrowed his golden eyebrows in thought. The young woman in a white dress. The only person who fits that description is Marinette, but she couldn't possibly be a demon. There's no way a sweet and gentle girl could be such a thing. Besides, it's not like they were in a book.

"Thank you for your warning," Adrien said.

He still wasn't convinced that this spirit was real, but he needed to be polite when speaking to such a man. He thought it was best not to verbally disregard this monk's words.

The monk held a large glass bottle out to Adrien, who hadn't realized was in the monk's hand this entire time. Its contents contained a clear liquid that looked much like water.

"Please take this and drink it to protect you," Fa Hai said, "Share it with your loved ones, too"

Adrien reached out and took the gift from the monk. He rotated the large bottle in his hands, examining the contents up close.

"May I ask what this is?"

"Realgar wine," Fa Hai responded, "If you drink it, it will protect you from evil spirits, which are roaming everywhere during this time. Just one shot should be enough.

"I'll be on my way now. Keep yourself and your loved ones safe," Fa Hai finished.

The monk turned around and walked away, leaving a confused Adrien in the middle of the city. He looked at the bottle one last time before shrugging. He might as well take it back to the hotel with him. After all, it was free wine.


	11. 第十一章

The blinding rays of the morning sun cut through the thin white curtains, hitting Adrien's closed eyelids. At the sudden bright redness that clouded inside his eyelids, Adrien's eyes fluttered open. Groaning tiredly, Adrien sat up using his elbows for support and rubbed his crusty eyes. The white blanket slid down his upper body, revealing his bare chest.

"Nino, what time is—"

Adrien paused when he realized that Nino wasn't laying in the identical bed next to his. Instead, there was an empty, neatly made bed with a piece of paper lying on top of the sheets. Curiosity came over him as Adrien slipped out from underneath the covers and picked up the piece of paper. He read over the little note that Nino left him, informing him that he went to get breakfast in the dining room.

Adrien placed the note on the small table between their beds, where the wine he received from the monk last night still sat unopened. A craving for alcohol took over his thoughts at the sight of it. The way the bottle glistened in the dim sunlight intimidated him. He couldn't resist anymore. Adrien walked over to the small cabinet in the corner of the room, where there were shot glasses stored.

Just as he was about to reach for one, a knock came from the other side of the door. Adrien sighed and stepped away from the cabinet, but stopped when he realized the state of clothes he was in. He was shirtless in a pair of dark gray sweatpants. Panicking, Adrien ran over to his suitcase and dug out a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt.

"Just a second!" Adrien called.

Within minutes, Adrien was dressed for the day thanks to his quick changing skills. He finished his outfit off with a dark green flannel and rolled his sleeves up before dashing to the door and pulling it open. He smiled when he saw his favorite bluenette standing there.

Marinette's face heated up when she saw the outfit he was wearing. She has never seen him wearing a flannel before, which she had to admit looked _really_ good on him.

"Hello, my sunshine," Adrien said and stepped to the side, "Do you want to come inside? Nino's not here by the way"

Marinette laughed at his words and stepped through the doorway, "Sunshine?"

Adrien laughed, too, "Well, yeah. Because your smile is so bright"

A small blush crept up on Marinette's face. Sunshine. She actually liked that nickname.

Adrien closed the door behind them and led Marinette farther into the room, where Adrien's bed still sat there, unmade. Adrien mentally facepalmed himself for forgetting to make his own bed before opening the door. Not to mention he left the cabinet open. Talk about embarrassment.

"Did you just wake up?" Marinette asked.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, sorry if the room is a mess right now"

Marinette giggled, "Don't worry, I don't mind. You should see my room if you think this is messy"

Adrien laughed in response. Then, he remembered what he was doing before Marinette came. He walked back to the cabinet and took out two shot glasses. He figured now that Marinette was here, he can have someone to drink with.

"I got some wine last night, and I wanted to try it," Adrien said, "Do you want some, too?"

Marinette watched as the handsome blond walked over to the bedside table and popped open the glass bottle. Marinette shrugged in response to his question.

"Sure. I don't really drink, but I guess one shot shouldn't hurt"

Adrien poured some of the beverage into the shot glasses and capped the bottle. He handed one glass to Marinette, who thanked him in return. The young adults smiled and clicked their glasses together before bringing them to their lips. The alcoholic beverage traveled down their throats, leaving a small burning sensation in its wake.

"Not bad," Adrien said as he took the glass of his lips, "Not exactly the type of drink I would crave once in a while, though"

However, the second the wine entered her system, Marinette's stomach churned and an aching pain plunged at her insides. She dropped the shot glass and held her hands to her stomach as her face scrunched up in pain. Adrien noticed her reaction to the beverage and quickly set his glass on the table. He approached Marinette with worry written all over his face.

"Marinette, is everything okay?"

"What... What kind of wine is this?" Marinette asked weakly.

The pain only grew as she clenched her stomach tighter. She felt as if a hundred knives were continuously stabbing her from inside.

"Realgar wine, a monk gave it to me. He said it wards off evil spirits," Adrien explained.

Marinette noticed her fingertips beginning to turn as white as her serpent scales. Marinette panicked through her pain and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. The pain continued to grow stronger as she sank to the floor with her back against the door. Next thing she knew, her legs were stuck together, and white scales were replacing them. The wine was forcing her true form to awaken.

No. This can't be happening. Not right now. Adrien can't know about her true form, he would surely fall out of love the second he laid his eyes on the horrendous monster she is. Or worse, she could scare him to death. She would much rather have him fall out of love with her, she couldn't bear the thought of being responsible for another human's death.

Just then, Adrien knocked on the bathroom door, adding more panic to her pain.

"Marinette, what's going on? Are you feeling okay?"

At this point, her dress was replaced by white scales covering her body from her breasts all the way down to her toes. Marinette's entire lower body had become a long, white snake tail that extended to the length of the bathroom floor. Marinette screamed in pain as her entire body throbbed intensely and the forced transformation continued.

"Marinette!" Adrien shouted anxiously, "I'm opening the door!"

On the other side of the door, a panic stricken Adrien turned the doorknob. He pushed the door open slightly, only for it to quickly slam back shut with a loud thud before he could see what was happening inside the bathroom.

"Don't come in!" Marinette yelled.

Marinette reached a shaky hand up in a desperate attempt to lock the door. However, a sudden spike of tremendous pain grew in her upper body, forcing her to retract her hand and let out another pain-filled scream. Her arms were now covered in white scales as they attached to the sides of her body. It was too late, there's no way she could lock the door now. The scales continued traveling up to her shoulders until they reached her neck.

"Marinette! Please let me in!"

Adrien rapidly knocked on the door. He reached for the doorknob again, but stopped when he heard Marinette's voice.

"Adrien," Marinette's weak voice called from the other side, "Don't open the door yet. Please"

Adrien's heart sank at the sound of her pleading. He sighed and rested his forehead against the door in defeat.

"Fine. I won't open the door," Adrien said softly, "Just please let me know you're okay"

"Do you love me, Adrien?" Marinette whimpered.

Upon hearing her question, confusion added to the rush of concern inside him. Adrien chuckled lightly as he proceeded to recite his words from last night.

"I told you last night, didn't I? Well, I'll tell you again anyways. I love you, Marinette"

"Will you love me no matter what?"

Adrien pressed his palm flat against the door and closed his eyes. He let out a deep breath.

He had no idea why she was suddenly asking these questions again, but he didn't mind repeating their answers. He could say those words to her a thousand times without getting tired of it. He would use his last breath to tell her those words just to make sure she knew he would still love her even after death.

"I'll love you no matter what, Marinette. Don't forget that"

Dead silence filled the bathroom right after he said that. His eyes shot open and he stood straight, calling for Marinette again as he pounded repeatedly on the door.

Still no answer. Adrien gulped nervously and wrapped his fingers around the silver doorknob. With a deep breath, Adrien turned it clockwise and pushed the door open.


	12. 第十二章

To his surprise, Adrien had opened the door with ease. Marinette had not tried to close it again. Adrien gulped nervously and swung it fully open. What he saw next made him scream in terror.

Instead of Marinette, a giant white snake laid on the bathroom floor, taking up the entire bathroom. Adrien stumbled back in panic and fell on his behind. He crawled backwards on the floor until his back was met with the wall. The snake looked at him and slowly slithered towards him. Adrien's heart pounded rapidly against his ribcage at the sight of this monstrous creature that looked straight from a fairytale.

A realization flooded through him, one that only filled him with more fear. This was definitely no ordinary snake, it was far too big to be a normal snake. The only explanation he could think of was that he was facing the white snake demon, the demon his father was after. The creature that killed his mother.

"S-Stay away!" Adrien shouted, "What did you do to Marinette?!"

Adrien prayed that this was a dream, that he would wake up in his bed. That he was right and the white snake was just a myth.

The snake crept closer to Adrien, who trembled with fear as his eyes grew so wide, they looked like they would pop right out of their sockets.

"P-Please don't kill me, Madame White Snake," Adrien begged, "Just... Just give me Marinette back"

If Marinette was even still alive. She was nowhere to be seen, and Adrien feared that the snake had eaten her. Tears brimmed his emerald eyes as the snake stopped in its track. It rose its head up off the ground, hovering its head right in front of Adrien's face. Adrien gulped as a forked tongue briefly slid out of its lips and reentered its mouth.

Before he knew it, Adrien found himself lost in its eyes—blue eyes to be exact. The same color as Marinette's eyes. A blond young adult boy reflected off of its eyes, staring back at him. A large tear built up from underneath one of its eyelids and slithered down its scaled face like a snake.

Adrien wiped his eyes to clear his vision. His heart rate slowed down, and his panicked thoughts calmed down as he looked deeper into those beautiful blue eyes, taking in every iris that made up its color. Its shiny white scales also matched her white hanfu that she always wore. Adrien's lips parted and his eyes softened when the realization hit him. Slowly, he reached a hand up to the snake and rested his palm against the side of its face, feeling the rough scales against his flesh.

"Marinette?" Adrien whispered.

More tears escaped the snake's eyes. Adrien pushed himself off the wall and sat up straight, not taking his hand off her face for a single second.

_Would you still love me if... If I turned out to be... Not who you think I am?_

It all made sense to him now. This was what Marinette meant by those words. Adrien pressed his lips together and leaned in closer to the snake, bringing his other hand to the other side of her face. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers, feeling every texture of her scales against his forehead.

"Marinette," Adrien whispered, "Now I know what you've been trying to tell me"

The white snake closed her eyes, which still brimmed with tears. Her tears continued to trickle down her face as she listened to Adrien's soothing voice.

"I've said it last night, and I'll say it again," Adrien continued, "I love you for who you are, Marinette"

Marinette's heart thumped underneath her scales. He doesn't care if she's a monster. He wasn't even scared to touch her. Adrien still loved her, and he was even willing to tell her that while she was in her true form.

Adrien used his thumb and lightly brushed it against her bumpy scales—right across a thin trail of tears underneath her eye. However, it was no use. Her tears only kept falling. Using his right hand, Adrien gently stroked along the length of her head in attempt to comfort her.

"You're beautiful, Marinette," Adrien smiled softly, not breaking their contact, "Inside and out"

Every word he said was laced with nothing but truth. He meant every word he said and still thought she was beautiful, even in this form. This was the real her after all.

After hearing his words, a white glow surrounded Marinette. Adrien felt her scales be replaced by human skin as her face grew smaller in his hands. Her tail grew shorter and shorter until they were replaced by human legs, and all the scales have disappeared from her body.

The white snake was replaced by a girl with midnight hair in a white hanfu. Her loose, dark hair hung across her trembling shoulders. Adrien had not pulled away for a second throughout her transformation back to her human form. Warm tears still streamed down her cheeks. Only this time, sobs escaped her lips.

"Adrien," Marinette whispered through tears, "I... I love you so much"

Adrien took his forehead off of hers and moved in closer so that he could wrap his arms around her and pull her against his chest. He rested one hand on the back of her head while she cried into his shoulder. Adrien remained silent and held her as tightly as he could, allowing her tears to stain his shirt once again.

Marinette took her head off his shoulder and looked up at him. Adrien wiped her remaining tears away while she took deep, shaky breaths to calm down.

"Thank you," Marinette said shakily.

"No need to thank me," Adrien said quietly.

Marinette hummed softly. She leaned back into him and rested her forehead against his collarbone. Adrien leaned his back against the wall, still keeping his arms around her. He ran his fingers through her hair while Marinette remained silent, melting into his touch. With her hand on his chest, she watched his chest rise and fall underneath. At that moment, the only sound in the room were her short sniffles that came sporadically against her will.

~

Fa Hai burst out the door of the temple and sprinted down the stone steps. He ran past a number of tourists, ignoring them as they watched the monk dash past.

The monk kept running until he reached a small house near West Lake. Fa Hai knocked on the door, which swung open to reveal Gabriel. The two of them exchanged a greeting before Gabriel stepped to the side to let the monk in.

"So, did your plan work?" Gabriel asked, "Did my son fall out of love?"

Fa Hai shook his head in defeat, "I can sense it, he's still in love with her. In fact, I think his love for her only grew stronger"

Gabriel's eyes widened, "How?"

"I don't know," Fa Hai said, "But either way, I still have a job to fulfill"

Gabriel exhaled slowly, "I guess there's really no choice now"


	13. 第十三章

Adrien and Marinette sat on the floor side by side with their backs against the wall. Marinette wiped her eyes with her sleeves, ridding them of any stray tears. Adrien hugged his knees to his chest and looked at the floor in front of him.

"You know, there's something I want to ask you," Adrien began, "My father told me that my mom was killed by... By you"

Those words left a bad taste in his mouth, but he wanted to know the whole story. He needed to know what happened to his mother.

Marinette's lips drooped as she looked at him. Golden blond hair and green eyes. She swore those features looked familiar. She held her hand to her head, trying desperately to bring out a memory.

Adrien noticed her unease in the corner of his eye and sighed.

"I'm sorry for asking, you don't have to tell me if—"

"Wait," Marinette interrupted, "I remember now"

Marinette lowered her hand and looked away from him as the memory of a blonde woman with his identical green eyes flashed before her. She cringed at the memory of the beautiful woman lying motionless in the arms of Gabriel.

"I'm sorry, Adrien," Marinette said, "I... I didn't mean to"

Adrien frowned, "Marinette, I'm not mad. I just want to know what happened"

"Your mother, she... She died of a heart attack," Marinette whimpered, "She died because my true form scared her to death when I was running from the monk who was trying to kill me.

"I'm sorry," Marinette said again, "I'm so sorry, Adrien"

Adrien reached a hand out to her and placed it over her hand, causing her eyes to shoot to his. Adrien smiled reassuringly and gave her hand a squeeze.

"Thank you for telling me," Adrien said, "I know you're not evil. But look, your true form didn't scare me to death"

"You're not mad?" Marinette asked, "Not even a little bit?"

Adrien shook his head, "It's been twenty years, what's done is done. It happened a long time ago, so I have to let it go.

"My father, however," Adrien slumped his head down, "He's been holding a grudge against you for all these years. I don't know what to do about him"

"I assume it's not an option to try and get him to change his mind?" Marinette asked.

Adrien sighed, "Unfortunately, no"

"Well, your father isn't my main concern," Marinette tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ears, "There's this monk named Fa Hai who's been trying to kill me for the past... I don't know how many years, but a long time"

"He must be that monk that gave me the wine," Adrien mumbled.

Adrien narrowed his eyes as he remembered the monk that approached him last night, warning him about the white snake demon. It didn't take long for him to put the pieces together. His father must be working with him to kill the white snake, otherwise he wouldn't have known Adrien's name. All of this must have been part of a plan to get Adrien to fall out of love with Marinette.

Sadly for them, their foolish plan didn't work. It caused the opposite effect, actually. Now that Adrien has seen Marinette's true form, he has fallen for her even more. Adrien couldn't believe his own father would try to break them apart. Him out of all people should know what it's like to lose the person you love most.

"If it's a fight they want, then it's a fight they'll get," Adrien growled.

"Adrien, I don't want to drag you into this mess," Marinette said, "It's dangerous and—"

"I'm not letting anything get in our way," Adrien interrupted, "Because I love you, and I'll always be in love with you"

Adrien took both of Marinette's hands in his and squeezed them reassuringly. Adrien leaned in closer to her and stared into those blue eyes that he fell in love with.

"Nothing will ever make me fall out of love with you," Adrien said, "The only thing that can separate us is death"

Marinette's lips parted at the sound of his words. She has never had anyone love her this much, nor has she ever loved anyone as much as she loved him. Their love was forbidden, but he was willing to fight his own father to keep their love alive.

"Then I'll have to try my best not to let death get in our way," Marinette said, "Because I want to stay with you forever"

"Is that a promise, then?" Adrien asked under his breath, "That you won't let death get in our way?"

Marinette nodded, "I won't die, I promise"

The two of them sat there on the floor with their hands tightly intertwined, neither of them willing to let go. Their faces were just centimeters apart, so close that they could feel each other's breathing. The longer they stared into each others eyes, the more they fell in love with the other's color.

With their hearts beating in sync, Adrien and Marinette closed their eyes and leaned into each other. Their lips inched closer and closer, feeling as if time had slowed down around them.

Soon, Marinette's lips hovered right in front of his. Adrien's heart rate sped up at the thought of his lips meeting hers. He has never kissed anyone before. What was he supposed to do? What if he was a bad kisser?

Despite feeling nervous about his first kiss, he was glad it was with Marinette and no one else. Her lips stayed just mere millimeters from his, like she was waiting for him to make the move. She didn't want to kiss him if he wasn't ready to. Likewise, she was nervous, too, as this was her first kiss as well.

Suddenly, the door unlocked and flew open. Nino's voice followed shortly after.

"Hey man, if you want—"

Adrien and Marinette screamed and jumped back from each other. Nino froze at the doorway with his hand holding the door open. His mouth dropped open when he saw Adrien and Marinette on the floor, both of their faces the color of a tomato.

"Umm, did I miss something?" Nino asked, "You know you two could have used the bed, right?"

Adrien and Marinette slowly turned their heads to look at each other. If they had a competition on whose face was redder, there would have been a tie.

"Excuse me, I'm here for room service," A female voice said from behind Nino.

All three of the young adults turned their attention to the lady dressed in the hotel uniform. Nino stepped out of the way to let her into the room.

"I just wanted to inform you that you're completely free to use the bed," The lady said, "And if you're in need of—"

"No!" Adrien and Marinette yelled simultaneously.

"We're good, ma'am!" A flustered Adrien said.

Marinette covered her face in embarrassment, "Please don't finish that sentence!"

Behind the lady, Nino's face reddened from holding his laugh in. Adrien and Marinette scrambled to their feet as the lady stepped farther into the room.

"I guess we should leave for now, then," Adrien said awkwardly, "Thank you for your service"

Taking Marinette's hand in his, Adrien and Marinette headed for the doorway. Nino briefly thanked the lady and followed the couple out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before anyone says something about the way Emilie died, Xu Xian (in the case of this story Adrien) in the original story died from a heart attack after seeing Bai Suzhen (Marinette) as a snake and then Bai Suzhen revived him using a revival herb. I'm trying to keep this similar to the original story, but I don't have room for all of that, so I went with this instead.


	14. 第十四章

Marinette decided to go back home, leaving Adrien and Nino to stroll through the city by themselves after dropping her off. The boys walked out of a store with bags in their hands.

"I wonder how much longer we're gonna stay here," Nino said, "I love it here, don't get me wrong, but you know me. I can get homesick"

Adrien pressed his lips together. Part of him didn't want to go back to Paris, but he knew he had to eventually. It was mainly his father's decision on when they would return home. He came here to eliminate the white snake, also known as Marinette. But Adrien was determined to keep him from killing the love of his life. He'd stay in Hangzhou forever if he had to.

However, part of him wanted to fly back to Paris with Marinette (without telling his father of course). It was dangerous for her to stay here, and he knew it would be safer for her back in Paris. The two of them could live together without a worry in their lives. He could propose to her at the top of the Eiffel Tower, where they were surrounded by the beautiful view of the City of Love. They could get married and raise children of their own, living happily ever after.

Adrien smiled at the idea of having a future with her. Perhaps, he might actually sneak back to Paris with her. He _will_ bring her back to Paris. The sooner he brought her back, the better.

"You know we're legal adults, right?" Adrien said, "We can go back home without my father"

Nino shrugged, "I guess you're right. I don't know about you, but I kind of want to go back this weekend"

In other words, that meant in only two days. Excitement was already boiling up inside Adrien at the thought of bringing Marinette home. He preferred tonight or tomorrow, but he figured two days was enough to talk with Marinette and plan things out.

"That works," Adrien said, "I'm going to bring Marinette with us, though"

Nino smirked and nudged him with his elbow, "I sense my dude planning a proposal already"

Adrien chuckled, "Maybe you're right, Mr. Psychic"

"But if you're bringing Marinette, I get to bring Alya," Nino said, "Deal?"

"Sure," Adrien responded, "Should we head over to their place after dropping our stuff off at the hotel? We're gonna need to ask if they're willing to go back with us"

"Sounds good"

Adrien and Nino turned a corner when a realization hit Adrien. The blond came to a halt as he scanned the unfamiliar surroundings.

"Dude, I think we're going the wrong way," Adrien said.

Nino stopped and looked around, cursing under his breath. Perhaps they should have taken the taxi instead. Adrien grunted and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Hey, Siri"

Adrien gave Siri the name of their hotel, and directions appeared onscreen. Adrien almost dropped his phone when he realized how far they had traveled from their hotel. They had been walking the wrong way the entire time, and now they've ended up on the other side of the city.

"Well, fuck," Nino said when he saw the map, "Yeah, let's just take the taxi. We're idiots"

Adrien laughed at Nino's statement. He wasn't wrong, though.

Adrien stopped laughing when he sensed someone approach him from behind. He swiftly turned his body around to face their unwanted visitor, and the person standing there was none other than the villainous monk Fa Hai. Adrien narrowed his eyes at the monk and pocketed his phone.

Nino's eyes traveled between Adrien and the monk, who gave off a gut-clenching vibe. He had the uneasy feeling that something was about to go down.

"What do you want, Fa Hai?" Adrien snapped.

At this point, he didn't care about sounding disrespectful anymore. This monk did not have good intentions like other monks and only wanted to break him and Marinette apart.

"Adrien Agreste," Fa Hai said monotonously, "You have been in the presence of a demon and must have your soul cleansed back at the temple"

"The only soul that needs cleansing here is yours. If you even have one," Adrien growled and clenched his fists, "She is not evil, nor has she done anything wrong. In fact, she's always willing to help people, so I'll kindly ask you to leave her alone"

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Fa Hai warned, keeping his voice down.

"Why," Adrien mumbled, "Why are you so obsessed with tearing my love with Marinette apart? What's so wrong with loving whoever you want?"

"She is a demon, and you are a human," Fa Hai responded, "I'm giving you one last chance to give in"

"Demon my ass!" Adrien shouted, "I don't care who or what she is, I love her!

Nino reached a hand to Adrien's shoulder, "Dude, I think we should—"

Nino was cut-off when Adrien slapped his hand away, not taking his eyes off of Fa Hai for one second. Nino backed away from his best friend, afraid of what was about to happen next. He couldn't understand what their conversation was about, but just the tone of their voices told him something was awfully wrong.

"I'm afraid we'll have to do this the hard way, then," Fa Hai said calmly.

Adrien opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced when the blond disappeared in the snap of the monk's finger.

Literally.

Nino panicked when his best friend disappeared into thin air, leaving only his shopping bags behind. Fa Hai followed shortly after, and now Nino was left alone with nothing but a million thoughts swarming through his head. At that moment, he wouldn't have wished for anything more than to understand Mandarin.

But now wasn't the time to panic or think about it. He needed to save his best friend, and the only people he could ask at the moment were Alya and Marinette.


	15. 第十五章

Adrien found himself in the middle of a pitch black room with his hands tied behind his back. He frantically scanned his surroundings, trying to make out where he was. However, the room was far too dark for him to see a single thing. The last thing he remembered was being confronted by Fa Hai.

Footsteps echoed inside the room, and Adrien froze in fear. A voice much to familiar to him followed shortly after.

"No need to be scared, Adrien," A deep manly voice said, "Your soul will be cleansed from any demonic energy"

"F-Father?" Adrien asked shakily, "What... What is this place?"

Gabriel lit a small candle, the only source of light in the room at that moment. Adrien trembled as the weak light reflected off of Gabriel's facial features.

"You're at the temple," Gabriel replied monotonously, "Like I said, your soul is getting cleansed because of your interactions with that she-demon"

Adrien shook his head anxiously, "Father, please stop this! Don't hurt her!"

"I'm sorry, Adrien. But love between humans and demons cannot happen," Gabriel said, "They are forbidden"

"But we're not hurting anybody!" Adrien yelled, "Marinette is not a bad spirit! All that matters is that we love each other and we're happy! Let me love who I want!"

Gabriel made a small _hmph_ sound and turned around, bringing the candle with him. Adrien struggled with his restraints, trying desperately to break free. The rough material of the rope dug into the flesh of his wrists, making him whimper in pain.

"Father! You can't let them do this to me!" Adrien shouted after him with tears brimming in his eyes, "Please! I'm begging you! Let me go! Or at least leave Marinette alone if you're gonna leave me here!"

Too late. Gabriel had already opened the door and stepped out, leaving a sobbing Adrien alone and tied up in the darkness.

~

"Guys! I need your help!" Nino shouted the second Alya opened the door.

"Woah there, come inside first," Alya said.

Nino did as he was told and stepped inside their small house. Alya closed the door behind him.

"Now, what's going on?" Alya asked.

"Adrien's in trouble!" Nino said frantically, "Some monk dude confronted us and all of a sudden their conversation got heated. I didn't understand a single word they said, but next thing I knew, the monk kidnapped my best friend!"

Alya's eyes widened, "What?!"

Nino nodded, "You can call me crazy or whatever, but yes. A monk kidnapped my best friend and I need to save him!"

Marinette stood to the side, her eyes darting between the two of them. She didn't know what they were talking about, but she could tell from their franticness that there was trouble stirring up.

And she knew from the fact that Adrien wasn't there with Nino that it must have something to do with him. The boys were with each other when they dropped her off here, and now Adrien was nowhere to be seen.

Finally, Alya turned to Marinette, who nervously watched them as sweat beaded her forehead. Their energy told her something was terribly wrong. Alya went up to Marinette and translated everything Nino told her about. Marinette's eyes widened upon hearing the unfortunate news.

Fa Hai had taken Adrien to his temple, no doubt. She didn't know why he took Adrien, but she needed to save him. She was willing to face her biggest enemy to save the love of her life. For years, she has been running from Fa Hai, not willing to put up a fight. But now, it's time she stopped running and face him head-on. It's time she fought for her love.

Marinette clenched her fists in anger, "Let's go save him"

Alya nodded in agreement, "We need a plan first, though. You know how strong Fa Hai is. Plus, you never know what tricks he has up his sleeve"

As far as Alya was concerned, this was most definitely a trap. He kidnapped Adrien and imprisoned him as a way to bait Marinette. She didn't like the idea of actually going over there to save him, thus falling for the trick, but what other choice do they have? She doubt Adrien would be freed any other way.

"The water demons," Marinette said quickly, "We'll ask the water demons for help"

"Are you sure, Marinette?" Alya asked, "You know those guys can get out of control sometimes"

Marinette nodded, "If they can help me save Adrien, then I need them"

Alya exhaled a long sigh, "I guess we don't have a better option. We don't have much time anyways"

Alya stepped up to Nino and placed a hand on his shoulder. She smiled briefly and looked him in the eye.

"We'll save your best friend," Alya said, "Just stay here, okay?"

Nino took a deep breath and placed his hand over Alya's.

"Be careful," Nino said, "I don't want either of you getting hurt"

"No need to worry," Alya reassured him, "After all, we have de—"

Alya stopped herself before she could finish that sentence. She had forgotten that Nino didn't know her and Marinette were the white and green snake demons.

"After all, we have the strength of the two of us," Alya finished.

"I'm counting on you, then," Nino said.

Alya placed her other hand on the side of his face. Her and Nino closed their eyes and leaned in until their lips met. Nino lowered her hand from his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Alya pulled away from the brief kiss and disconnected her hands from him. With one last smile, Alya turned to the door. Marinette was about to follow, but stopped when Nino called her name. She turned to her lover's best friend. Nino may not be able to have a full conversation with her, but he learned a word of gratitude from Adrien, and now would be the perfect time to say it.

"Xièxiè," Nino said.

He wished he could have added on to his words. He wanted to thank her for being determined to save Adrien. He wanted to thank her for making Adrien happy. No other girl has made him so happy before. Most girls only wanted Adrien for his money or because he used to be a model, but he knew Marinette truly loved him for who he was.

Marinette smiled. She stepped up to Nino and spread her arms out to him. Nino smiled back and stepped into her arms, closing the hug. He had to lean down because of how short she was, which made him chuckle.

The two of them pulled away from the hug and smiled at each other. Marinette spoke two words in response to his, ones that she learned from Alya.

"De rien"

That may have been the closest they've had to having an actual conversation with each other. Nonetheless, love has no language barrier, whether it be family, friendship, or romantic.

And now she had a job to do, one that could possibly cost her her life.


	16. 第十六章

Alya and Marinette, in their half serpent forms, swiftly swam through the lake. One would think they were mermaids from a distance, but they swam deep enough as to not be seen. With the help of the water demons, they were able to swim faster, as well as stay hidden.

"Remember, don't attack right away," Marinette said, both to Alya and the water demons.

A large number of shrimps and crabs followed close behind the snake demons, where they would wait for a cue to attack. For now, they agreed to stay passive. Luckily for them, the temple was closed for visitors today.

Once they reached the shore, Alya and Marinette launched themselves out of the water, splashing water on the nearby land in the process of breaking through the surface. The girls transformed into their full human forms midair. They landed near the entrance of the temple, where Fa Hai stood as if waiting for Marinette to come and rescue Adrien.

"Let go of Adrien," Marinette commanded.

Before either of them could get out another word, a scream came from inside the temple. The scream was full of intense pain and sent a chill through Marinette's spine. Her heart sank when she realized it was Adrien's voice shouting.

"Stop! Please!"

His words were replaced by another round of horrendous screaming. At this point, his screams sounded... Inhumane. She couldn't believe those sounds were coming from a human being. Marinette covered her ears in a desperate attempt to drown out the sounds. Tears shimmered in her eyes as her hands trembled from pressing her palms against her ears. Even above the blurriness that clouded in her ears, she could still hear the faint screams of her lover.

"What... What are you doing to him?" Marinette asked whispily.

Fa Hai did not seem at all fazed by Adrien's screams. He stood there calmly until the screaming died down. Marinette lowered her hands, hoping with all her heart that Adrien was still okay.

"We're cleansing his soul because of your interactions with him," Fa Hai said, "You brought this pain upon him"

"You're the only thing that stands in the way of Adrien and Marinette's love," Alya snapped, "I'm gonna ask you one last time to let him go"

"Do you really think it's that easy to get me to obey your orders?" Fa Hai asked monotonously, "I am not a five-year-old"

Alya and Marinette exchanged a serious glance with one another. They gave each other a nod and turned back to the monk, glaring their eyes at him.

"I don't like fighting, nor do I want to fight you," Marinette admitted, "But if I have to fight for Adrien, so be it"

The water raged behind Alya and Marinette. A violent gust of wind rustled through their hair as the waves rose higher and higher with each second that passed. Alya and Marinette shape shifted into two giant serpents. Fa Hai prepared for their attack and gripped his staff tightly. The two serpents lunged at him with the water rising behind them.

~

Back at the city, a loud bell rang in the air, warning the citizens of an incoming tsunami. Upon hearing this warning, citizens in the streets desperately ran for dear life, trying to take shelter in a high place.

Nino stepped out of the small house at the sound of the bells. He gasped when he saw a huge wave beginning to build up in the distance. Without a moment to waste, Nino took off running with a number of other citizens who were nearby. Wherever Alya, Marinette, and Adrien were, he prayed that they were somewhere safe.

Nino looked over his shoulder and saw the wave gaining up on him. His eyes desperately scanned the area for a place he can run to. But it was too late, and Nino couldn't run fast enough. The monstrous wave has hit the city, destroying buildings and engulfing a number of innocent lives in its deadly waters.

Nino plunged underneath the surface, his chest tightening as he held his breath. His hat floated off his head, but that was the least of his worries at the moment. Nino swam up and stuck his head up above the surface, gasping for breath. He swam towards a nearby tilted car that floated in the water and grabbed onto it.

The tall temple in the distance was submerged underwater, at least the lower half of it. All around him, Nino spotted people grabbing onto floating objects and holding on for their lives. Some bodies floated above the surface, unmoving. Some limp bodies were sinking deeper and deeper into the water. Some people cried out for their loved ones in hopes that they have not drowned underneath the waters.

Nino looked away and focused his eyes on the car underneath him, trying to wipe the disturbing images out of his memory. These images would forever haunt him for the rest of his life. Above all the panic around him, Adrien, Marinette, and Alya came to his concern.

~

"Look at what you've done to the city," Fa Hai said sternly.

At this point, Fa Hai and Marinette (in her human form) stood on two giant rocks facing each other. Marinette's eyes traveled behind her, where she saw a once beautiful city engulfed in water. Her eyes widened in terror. She held a trembling hand to her mouth at the sight of this disaster. The disaster that she caused. Marinette had harmed humans when all she wanted was to help them. She has taken perhaps hundreds of innocent lives, a burden that she would now have to bear.

Alya, who was still a green serpent, looked in the direction of the city. Panic flooded through her at the thought of Nino. She looked back at Marinette, who was now on her knees sobbing into her hand. Alya could tell she was about to give in any moment.

Inside the flooded temple, Adrien managed to swim his way through the entrance. Once he was out of the building, Adrien swam upwards. He gasped for breath as he broke the surface, wiping water out of his eyes. He looked around him, where he spotted Marinette on her knees and Fa Hai now sitting cross legged on the rock in front of her.

Before he could do anything, Adrien felt something large and scaly sneak its way underneath him. He screamed as he was risen out of the water, where he now had a view of the disaster in the city. Underneath him was a giant green serpent. The serpent carried him up to high land and placed him on top.

"Stay there, I'm going to find Nino," The serpent said, "This is Alya by the way"

Alya lunged back into the water, not giving time for Adrien to speak. Whatever the monks were doing to him was cut short thanks to this tsunami.

But now, all his worry was on Marinette.


	17. 第十七章

The green serpent swam through the waters of the flooded city, scanning the area around her in search of Nino. On the ground below her lay a number of destroyed cars and... Dead bodies. Hundreds of dead bodies littered the ground. Alya looked away from the traumatizing sight, hoping that Nino wasn't among the dead bodies. She couldn't imagine how Marinette would feel if she saw that for herself.

Alya continued swimming. Before she knew it, she spotted a red baseball cap floating towards her. Nino's baseball cap to be exact. She changed into her half human form and grasped the cap in her hands. Perhaps Nino is somewhere nearby. She hoped so. Alya swam up to the surface and poked her head through the water, leaving the lower part of her body hidden underwater. People all around her were busy worrying about themselves or their loved ones and didn't notice the snake girl.

Alya swam on, passing through floating objects and debris varying from big to small. Her eyes landed on a figure sitting on top of a floating car in the distance. Alya perked up upon making out its features. She dashed towards the figure, hoping her eyes were correct.

She swam closer and closer, and to her relief, Nino was sitting on top of the car. Relief flooded through her as she continued on her way to him.

"Nino!"

Nino looked towards the source that was calling his name. A large smile spread upon his lips when he saw Alya swimming towards him. As she got closer to him, Nino soon realized her bottom half was not a pair of legs, but rather... A tail? A _snake_ tail?

Alya stopped in front of him, smiling at the fact that he was safe. She held his cap out to him. Nino thanked her and took his soaking hat from her. He twisted the thick fabric, allowing excess water to drain out of it.

"I'm glad you're safe," Nino said, "But care to explain your... Tail?"

Alya laughed, "I'll tell you in a bit. I'm gonna take you to Adrien"

Nino's eyes lit up with hope, "Did you two save him?"

"Well," Alya scratched the back of her head, "Somewhat. He's completely fine, but Marinette..."

The spark of hope that filled Nino's eyes faded away after hearing Alya's tone.

"Is she okay?" Nino asked frantically.

"Listen, I'll explain everything soon," Alya said and grabbed ahold of his hand, "Just come with me"

"How are we gonna—"

Nino was cut-off when Alya yanked on his arm, forcing him underwater with her. The sudden splash caught the citizens' attention. They looked over to the source of the sound, only to find nothing there.

Alya brought Nino deep enough underwater that they were hidden from sight. She pressed her lips against his as the water clouded their hearing. Nino's eyes widened from the sudden movement, but soon closed shut as he melted into the kiss.

Alya pulled away from the kiss with a smile. Nino opened his eyes and took in a deep breath.

A breath. He just breathed underwater! It must be Alya's magic (or whatever one would want to call it).

With their hands still intertwined, Alya led Nino through the water.

"I'd advise you not to look down," Alya said, "Unless you want to be severely traumatized"

"Note taken"

He's already seen enough above the surface. He didn't even want to know what horrors lied below the surface.

"By the way, can you explain all of this?" Nino asked, "Last time I checked, you had legs. And I never got wicked powers from kissing you before"

Alya couldn't help but laugh at his statements. Nino always knew how to make her laugh, even during times like this. That was one of the many things she loved about him.

"Long story short, I'm the green snake demon and Marinette is the white snake," Alya said.

Nino's mouth gaped open, "D-Demon?"

"Relax, we're not evil," Alya chuckled, "Anyways, continuing on. That monk that took Adrien is named Fa Hai, and he's been hunting Marinette for decades"

Alya continued rambling on about Adrien and Marinette's relationship and how Fa Hai is trying to tear them apart. Nino still had so many questions roaming around, but he probably wouldn't be able to handle getting bombarded with even more information. After all, he was in the middle of an event that looked like something from a disaster movie—one that would most definitely end up in history books. That alone was overwhelming enough.

~

Adrien stood at the edge of the cliff, staring down at the rapid currents. His eyes traveled repeatedly between the water below him and the battle in front of him. Well, not exactly a battle anymore, but he had a feeling something was going to happen, judging by Fa Hai's position and the fact that a bright, yellow glow was surrounding the monk now.

He needed to find a way to get to Marinette. She saved him, and now he needs to save her from that villain of a monk who wants to kill her.

Adrien took in a number of deep breaths. His heart pounded violently against his chest at the thought of jumping into the water. He tried to force himself to jump, but his legs had a mind of their own. The fear of that steep fall controlled his body. Adrien grunted in frustration.

Suddenly, a large splash shot upwards from the water below him. Adrien jumped back in panic and closed his eyes as the seawater splashed him.

Adrien opened his eyes, and sitting on top of a giant green snake was none other than his best friend. Nino waved at him. Adrien smiled and returned the wave. Alya lowered her head onto the ground right next to Adrien. Nino jumped off of her and ran to pull Adrien into a hug.

"Bro! You're alive!" Nino yelled excitedly.

Adrien lightly patted his best friend's back before stepping out of his arms. Him, Alya, and Nino turned their attention to Marinette and Fa Hai. Now, that yellow glow around the monk was beginning to cover a larger area—growing bigger and brighter with each second.

"Marinette!" Adrien shouted, "We need to—"

Adrien stopped when the blinding light struck his eyes. He squinted at the brightness and shielded his eyes with his arm. At this point, neither of them could get close enough to save Marinette without losing their eyesight.

The light continued to spread. Soon, the entire area was engulfed, and Adrien could see nothing but brightness.


	18. 第十八章

Once the light faded away, Marinette found herself back on land—in front of the temple. All the water from the flood had gone away, and the beautiful city had been revived—thank goodness. However, the casualties from this event still lingered. Those who have died have died, there was no reviving them. Meaning Marinette still had an incredibly heavy burden that she would carry forever.

Footsteps approached her and stopped directly in front of the kneeling bluenette. Marinette slowly turned her head to look up at the figure. Fa Hai. In his hand was a golden bowl. Marinette knew exactly what this meant. She quickly rose to her feet and clasped her palms together in front of her. She dipped her head and held her hands up to her forehead.

"Fa Hai, after what I've done, I believe I don't deserve to live anymore. I give up, you win. I don't want to harm anyone else," Marinette said in defeat, "I've taken so many lives, and for that I deserve to be punished"

Fa Hai remained silent and gave the white snake a chance to say her last words. He was cruel, but he wasn't so cruel that he would perish her immediately.

"But please, let me see Adrien one more time," Marinette begged, "You can do whatever you want. Perish me, turn me to dust, I don't care. Just let me have one last chance to be with Adrien and I'll accept my fate"

Tears streamed down her face as she continued to beg her enemy to at least grant her her last wish.

"Please, please, please," Marinette whimpered, "Let me—"

"Marinette?"

Marinette lowered her hands at the sound of his voice. _Adrien's_ voice. She turned around on her heels, where she saw the handsome blond making his way towards her. She resisted the urge to run to him. Marinette glanced back at the monk for permission, looking at him with pleading eyes.

Adrien stopped before he could get too close to them. Just in case he wasn't welcome to be near Marinette, as much as it pained him. She was literally just fifteen feet away from him.

Fa Hai looked from Adrien to Marinette. He gave her a small nod of approval. Marinette smiled in return.

"Thank you, Fa Hai"

Marinette faced Adrien again and took off into a sprint. Adrien smiled and spread his arms out, ready to catch her. The second she collided with him, Marinette threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder. Her tears soaked through the fabric of his shirt.

Adrien gripped his arms around her waist so tightly, his arms trembled from all the strength he put into the embrace. As if this were a competition on who could hold the other tighter, Marinette strengthened her grip on him.

This tight embrace was exactly what Adrien needed. She was alive, and so was he. This embrace showed that he was in the reality, that she was really there with him. That they were together.

However, Adrien's happiness was short lived. All of his hope had diminished at the sound of Marinette's words. It was then that he realized Marinette's tears were not tears of joy, but rather tears of farewell.

"Adrien," Marinette sniffed through tears, "I'm afraid that this will be our last time together"

Adrien's eyebrows lifted at the sound of her words. He moved his hands from her waist to her shoulders and stepped back from the hug. His trembling lips parted as he stared into her tear-filled eyes.

"What?" Adrien breathed out, "Marinette, please tell me you're not serious"

He knew from her tears that she was telling the truth, but he wanted some reassurance. He wanted to believe that she was just playing around. After all, she promised she wouldn't die.

Marinette's tears mercilessly ran down her cheeks. She shook her head and placed her hands on either side of his face. At this point, tears were beginning to shine in Adrien's eyes, too.

"I'm sorry, Adrien," Marinette whimpered, "I couldn't keep my promise"

"Marinette, I..." Adrien choked through his tears, "I... I had plans for the future"

Adrien didn't bother wiping his tears away, because he knew they were falling faster than he could wipe them away. He tried to say more, but his words came out in sobs of despair.

"Tell me about them," Marinette said shakily, "Let me hear your plans for the future so I know you can live on without me"

Adrien shook his head, "I can't live on without you! I wanted to bring you back home with me and start a future together!"

The sound of his words tore Marinette's heart apart. He sounded so determined to spend the rest of his life with her. Likewise, she, too, wanted a future with him. But now they will never be able to have a future together.

"Adrien," Marinette sobbed, "I'm sorry. I wish I could have gone back home with you"

"What would you want to happen in our future together?" Adrien asked, his cheeks shining with tears, "Tell me your dreams"

Marinette sniffed through her tears, "Three kids... Emma, Louis, and... Hugo"

"And a hamster?" Adrien added quietly.

Marinette nodded, "And a hamster"

She took one of her hands off his cheek to wipe her tears away, but stopped when Adrien wiped them away for her using his thumb. He kept one hand on her cheek while the other stayed on her shoulder.

"It's okay," Adrien whimpered, "I got you, just... Just don't let go of me. Please"

He wanted to feel her touch in this last moment they had together.

"Okay," Marinette whispered shakily, "I won't let go. Not yet"

"Marinette," Adrien stepped closer to her, his face hovering just centimeters from hers, "You are my sunshine. Even when it rains, you brighten the sky and create rainbows"

A muffled sob escaped his lips. Now it was Marinette's turn to wipe Adrien's tears away, the tears that he never wiped away simply because he didn't want to take his hands off of her even for a second. He wanted to touch her while he still can.

"Thank you for everything," Marinette smiled with tears in her eyes, "I love you, Adrien. Promise me you'll live on without me"

Adrien shook his head, "I can't, I—"

"Please!" Marinette was practically begging him now, "Do it for me, Adrien. Convince me that I have nothing to worry about"

Adrien gripped the shoulder of her dress between his fingers. He gulped down a sob. As much as it pained him to think about a future without her, this was the least he could do for her. He took a trembling breath and nodded hesitantly.

"I'll live on," Adrien whispered, "I promise"

Marinette gently stroked his tear-stained cheek. Her and Adrien both closed their eyes and closed the small distance between them with their lips—their first and last kiss.

Time froze all around them as the couple melted into the kiss of their forbidden love. Though, it was only a metaphor when people say kisses freeze time. Adrien and Marinette both wished it was true that kissing the person you love most had the power to stop time.

If that were the case, then they would leave their lips connected for eternity. The two of them would be frozen in time with no one to interfere.

Together forever, only death could come between them.

Their lips parted when Adrien felt Marinette's presence leaving his side. He shot his eyes open, where he saw his love being sucked away from him with a compelling wind surrounding her. Screaming his name with tears in her eyes, Marinette reached a hand out to him. Adrien grabbed her hand, desperate to keep her with him for as long as possible. Desperate to touch her until the very end.

Their hands were intertwined tightly, tears streaming down both of their faces at the realization that this was it. This was their final moment together. Marinette's hand slipped farther and farther in his hand despite their attempts to stay connected.

"Marinette! Don't let go!" Adrien shouted through tears, "Hold on just a little longer!"

As if his words could even help. Her hand kept sliding away from his until their hands disconnected. The powerful wind sucked Marinette away from Adrien, who now sank to his knees with his hand still extended out in front of him. As if he could somehow get her back.

"Marinette!"

Marinette's hands still reached out to him, but it was no use fighting this spell. This was her fate after all. She cried out one last word before vanishing into Fa Hai's magical bowl.

"Adrien!"

With that, the wind has stopped blowing, and all that was left was silence. Adrien's mouth hung open while tears wetted his cheeks. Only this time, Marinette was not there to wipe them away.

He brought his hands to his face and bawled into them. His shoulders and chest heaved violently, and a chill spread through his body from his breakdown.

Marinette, the love of his life, was gone. And so was a part of him. She broke her promise of not letting even death get in the way of their love. She had been perished, a punishment for both him and Marinette alike.

Punished for no reason other than falling in love.


	19. 第十九章

Adrien walked through the city of Paris with a backpack strapped around his shoulders and his hands in his jean pockets. The clouds were dark gray and radiated a gloomy vibe—perfect description of his emotions. Heavy rain soaked into his clothes, but he didn't bother even wearing a jacket. A number of people stared at the former model as he walked by with no care in the world. He hung his head down as to not look any passersby in the eye.

Some people offered him their umbrella, to which he gave no answer and kept dragging his feet down the sidewalk.

It has been one year since he lost her. One year since she slipped from his fingers. Everyday, the pain of losing her only grew. Every night, he wished among the stars to have her back. But it was no use, he knew it was impossible to wish someone back to life.

He wished it was possible to love someone back to life. If that were the case, she would have came back long ago.

Adrien turned a corner and entered a dark and empty alleyway, where the rain soaked the stone walls. He slipped his backpack off his shoulders and gently set it on the ground. Adrien followed suite, sinking to the floor with his back against the cold wall and his knees slightly bent. The blond rested one of his arms on his knee. He closed his eyes let out a long breath of exhaustion as tiny raindrops dripped down his face. Or, perhaps, they were tears. Maybe a combination of both, he couldn't tell.

He will never understand why it had to end like this. He loved her, and she loved him. All they wanted was to share their love with each other, and it all got taken away just like that. Marinette didn't deserve such a fate, he always knew she was a good spirit.

Was their love a sin? Since when was it a sin to love someone?

Now, he could never love anyone ever again. He feared that he would get punished for it. He stopped talking to Nino and cut out anyone else who tried to reach him. He has no clue on whether Nino came back to Paris or not. Even if he did, he knows no information about his former best friend's whereabouts.

His father was another story. He didn't know whether he survived the flood or not. Either way, he didn't care. His father was one of the things that got in the way of him and Marinette. His father didn't bother saving him from the monks when they tried to "cleanse his soul", leaving him with an experience that left him mentally scarred.

Adrien unzipped his backpack and took out a large glass bottle filled with clear liquid. He uncapped the bottle and brought it to his lips. The highly alcoholic beverage spilled into his mouth and burned his throat as it traveled down. He took the bottle off his lips shortly after, gagging at the horrendous taste and tearing up at the feeling of his throat burning.

He was broken. He was in pain. So much pain. He struggled to live through each day, but he promised her he would live on. But was he really living if everyday was an endless cycle of pain and misery? If he wanted nothing but to end his life?

Adrien was about to take another sip of vodka when all of a sudden, the rain stopped falling on top of him. He lowered the glass bottle from his lips and looked up, where he found himself sitting underneath a black umbrella. Staring down at him was none other than Nino Lahiffe.

"Dude," Nino muttered, "You're a mess"

Nino's voice was laced with concern. He hardly even recognized Adrien. His hair looked as if he hadn't gotten a haircut in years, nor bothered to fix it this morning. His eyes were glowing light red, and he couldn't tell whether it was from the alcohol or from his tears. He knew Adrien drank once in a while, but he never drank anything that had such a high alcohol content.

Adrien looked away from him and hugged his knees to his chest. He dug his face into his knees and sobbed into them. His shoulders shivered, both from the cold rainwater that soaked his clothes and from crying.

Nino frowned and knelt down next to the distressed blond. He hasn't seen or talked to Adrien in a year, and now he wished he had. At that moment, he hated himself for not being there for him, for letting Adrien push him away.

Adrien wanted to push him away again, but he didn't have the energy to do so. He needed someone. He needed a shoulder to cry on. He needed his best friend back.

"Listen, I'm sorry for... For everything, really," Nino sighed, "I should have been there for you when you needed me"

Adrien took his head out of his knees and shook his head. He sniffed and wiped his tears away.

"It's not your fault," Adrien said, "I'm the one who pushed you away. I'm sorry"

"I should have stayed, though," Nino said, "If I was your true best friend, I wouldn't have walked away. Because of me, you had to grieve alone"

Nino placed his hand on Adrien's shoulder, "And I refuse to let you go on like this. I'm not leaving you again"

Adrien smiled sadly, "Thank you, Nino"

At that moment, Adrien knew he couldn't push him away again even if he tried. Nino was determined to stay by his side this time. His best friend needed him now more than ever.

"By the way, I don't know if this will make you feel better or not," Nino began, "But Alya had Marinette's diary, and we wanted to give it to you"

Nino held out a pink journal with white polka dots that had the shape of a half moon. Adrien stared at the journal in his hands. At this point, anything related to Marinette would be of good use for him. Maybe he could even find a source of comfort in her words.

Adrien reached out to take the diary from Nino. He undid the button that kept it closed and read the very first entry.

_Dear_ _Diary_ _,_  
 _Today_ _I_ _went_ _to_ _the_ _pet_ _store_ _and_ _saw_ _hamsters_ _!_ _They're_ _so_ _cute_ _!_ _I_ _wish_ _I_ _can_ _buy_ _one. Maybe_ _someday_ _I'll_ _have_ _one_ _of_ _my_ _own_ _._

Adrien chuckled lightly after reading that entry. He could hear her sweet voice echoing in his head, almost like she was actually speaking these words to him. He flipped through the next few pages and came across another one.

_Dear_ _Diary_ _,_  
 _I_ _came_ _across_ _some_ _nice_ _tourists_ _in_ _a_ _café._ _They_ _were_ _paying_ _for_ _their_ _order_ _and_ _dropped_ _their_ _shopping_ _bags_ _,_ _causing_ _everything_ _to_ _spill_ _out_ _._ _Luckily_ _,_ _I_ _came_ _to_ _the_ _rescue_ _and_ _helped_ _them_ _pick_ _everything_ _back_ _up_ _._ _After_ _that_ _,_ _they_ _paid_ _for_ _my_ _order_ _!_

 _I_ _later_ _on_ _learned_ _that_ _their_ _names_ _were_ _Emma_ _,_ _Louis_ _,_ _and_ _Hugo_ _._ _I_ _ended_ _up_ _spending_ _the_ _day_ _with_ _them_ _and_ _showing_ _them_ _around_ _the_ _city_ _(_ _which_ _Alya_ _wasn't_ _very_ _happy_ _about_ _)._ _However_ _,_ _they_ _said_ _they're_ _only_ _staying_ _for_ _three_ _weeks_ _._ _I'm_ _gonna_ _miss_ _them_ _when_ _they_ _leave_ _!_

Adrien smiled softly. Marinette always wanted to help others, which he admired about her. He continued turning the pages and reading them through. He stopped when he landed on the last entry in the diary.

_Dear_ _Diary_ _,_  
 _Yesterday I_ _saved_ _a_ _foreigner_ _from_ _drowning_ _after_ _he_ _fell_ _off_ _the_ _Broken_ _Bridge_ _. I_ _saw_ _him_ _again_ _today_ _at_ _the_ _same_ _spot_ _._ _We_ _flew_ _a_ _kite_ _together_ _and_ _got_ _along_ _pretty_ _well_ _._ _He's_ _actually_ _kind_ _of_ _cute_ _._ _I_ _might_ _be_ _catching_ _feelings_ _for_ _him_ _!_

 _Update_ _:_ _his_ _name_ _is_ _Adrien_ _Agreste_ _._ _I_ _love_ _him_ _and_ _he_ _loves_ _me_ _for_ _who_ _I_ _am_ _._ _Today_ _he_ _called_ _me_ _his_ _sunshine_ _! Maybe if_ _I_ _were_ _to_ _perish_ _one_ _day_ _,_ _I'll_ _awaken_ _the_ _sunlight_ _on_ _a_ _rainy_ _day_ _to_ _let_ _him_ _know_ _I'm_ _still_ _watching_ _over_ _him_ _._

 _But_ _I_ _shouldn't_ _be_ _thinking_ _about_ _that_ _._ _There_ _are_ _much_ _more_ _positive_ _things_ _I_ _can_ _think_ _about_ _instead_ _(_ _like_ _Adrien_ _)!_

Right after he read this entry, the heavy rain stopped falling and was replaced by a soft light shining into the alleyway. Adrien lowered the diary and rose to his feet. He stepped out from underneath the umbrella and squinted as he glanced up at the sky.

The clouds have grown lighter, along with the sky. In the distance, the dazzling yellow sun shined its rays onto the city. Adrien closed the diary shut and watched as a faded rainbow showed off its colors in the sky.

Sunshine. Perhaps this was Marinette's sign. Using his sleeve, Adrien wiped away any stray tears that still brimmed in his eyes. Not too far from the rainbow, Adrien spotted a long, white cloud that took the shape of a beautiful serpent.

Even though she's gone, she still brightened the sky and brought rainbows on Adrien's rainiest days. This was her message to Adrien, that she was still there. That better days were coming to him.

After all, he had to live, not exist. Starting today, he would live on. For her.

"Hello," Adrien smiled softly, "My sunshine"

~ **The End~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See the next chapter for an alternate ending :)


	20. Alternate Ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is to make up for that ending because I feel bad >-<
> 
> In the original story, Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen lived happily ever after, but I based the ending more on the movie "The Sorcerer and the White Snake" .

Adrien knelt down in front of Marinette's tombstone. His eyes scanned the words embedded into the rock, reminding him of all the tender moments they shared with each other. From the moment they first laid eyes on each other to their first (and last) kiss, all those memories will forever hold a place in Adrien's heart.

Adrien had just finished freshening up her grave. He placed a couple of incense sticks in front of the stone and lit each of them. The sweet aroma of cinnamon rolls filled the air around him, mixing in with the various different scents from the tombstones around him. He left a couple hundred dollars in fake money on the grass in front of her tomb. With a smile, Adrien sat back and admired the work he did to honor her on this very day.

"Hey, Marinette," Adrien said softly, "It's been a year since we first met each other. I plan on coming back to Hangzhou every year now just for the Qingming Festival"

Adrien's smile faded shortly afterwards. He took a deep breath and exhaled.

"I still miss you everyday, though," Adrien continued, "I recently broke up with my girlfriend after one month into our relationship. I couldn't handle it. She looked too much like you, and it wasn't fair to her either because I still love you"

Adrien looked down at his hands in his lap. He nervously fidgeted with the ring on his finger—the object that led their paths to cross again.

"I think I'm convinced that I can't fall in love with anyone else," Adrien said, "It feels like... All I want is you. If I could have just one last moment with you..."

Adrien stopped when his vision grew blurry and his nose grew stuffy. He sniffed back his tears and scooted closer to her tombstone until he was close enough to lean his forehead against the cold, hard stone. He looked down at the ground below and continued talking to her.

"If I can just hold you one more time... Share another kiss with you..." Adrien wiped his watery eyes, "That's all I want. I wouldn't ask for anything else"

Adrien's bottom lip trembled while his tears that he wiped away only resurfaced. His jaw ached from his attempts at holding them back.

"Marinette, I—" Adrien was cut-off by a short gasp, "I love you more than anything. My arms ache to hold you, and everyday I just feel so empty without your presence"

At this point, he couldn't stop his tears from falling. They had a mind of their own and snaked their way out of his eyes, flowing down his cheek rapidly like a waterfall and absorbing into the bright green grass as they fell from his face. Adrien let out a sob and held a hand to his mouth. His entire body shook from his crying.

"Last year, you... You asked me if I... If I was honoring anyone," Adrien whimpered shakily, "I never thought that... That that person would ever be you"

Adrien could no longer say a single word, as they only came out in muffled sobs. He sat there in front of his lover's gravestone, crying as if he could somehow cry her back to life.

He wished that were the case.

He had always been there to hold Marinette in his arms while she cried into his shirt. He would much rather be crying into her warm arms rather than on her cold gravestone.

He hated the idea of showing his vulnerability, but he needed her comfort more than anything. For once, he wanted her to hold him while he cried. He wanted her to be there to wipe his tears away. He just wanted her. He needed her.

Adrien took his forehead off of her gravestone and dried his eyes with his sleeve. He sniffed one last time and took a deep, trembling breath.

"I'm going to head back now," Adrien said, "Alya and Nino are waiting for me. Thank you for everything"

And with that, Adrien rose to his feet. With his hands in his pockets, the blond turned around and began walking. As he walked through the cemetery, he passed by numerous people leaving gifts or cleaning their loved ones' graves. Some people cried in front of the gravestones just like he did. He was glad he wasn't the only one.

~

Adrien, Alya, and Nino now stood on the Broken Bridge, where people were flying kites again. Only this time, it was still daytime and Adrien had no one to hold his kite with. He didn't want to hold one, though, because he would only be reminded of the beautiful midnight haired girl that he fell madly in love with. The one he met and fell for at this very location. The one who saved his life.

Adrien clasped his hands together and stared blankly into the distance, his eyes still light red from his breakdown earlier. Next to him, Alya and Nino have cut the strings of their kites and allowed them to float away with the other kites. The couple both turned their heads at their blond friend, who showed absolutely no reaction to the kites. He hasn't said a single word to them ever since they left the cemetery.

"Are you alright, Adrien?" Nino asked.

Adrien sighed. He rubbed his eyes before his tears could build up again.

"Yeah, I'm—"

Adrien stopped when he realized his ring was missing. Again. He cursed in his head and jumped back from the railing, scanning the floor below him.

"Have any of you seen my ring?" Adrien asked.

Luckily, Adrien's panic was short lived just like last time. Before either of his friends could answer, a voice sounded right next to him. A voice that was far too familiar.

"Excuse me, is this yours?"

Adrien quickly shot his head up. His eyes widened and his pupils sparked at the sight in front of him. His heart raced and his face heated like he had just run a marathon.

Alya and Nino turned their attention to the owner of the voice. Alya gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Nino's mouth dropped open so big, he swore he could have broken his jaw.

Right there in front of Adrien stood a short girl with medium length dark blue hair tied into low pigtails and bluebell eyes. Only this time, she wasn't wearing a white hanfu. Instead, she wore a white shirt with pink flowers on it, a black over shirt, and pink jeans.

"Yes," Adrien almost whispered, "Thank you"

He slowly extended his hand out and took the ring from her. The girl shot him a smile—the bright smile he fell in love with. The one that shined as brightly as the sun, perhaps even brighter.

"Don't lose it again, okay?" The girl said, "I'll be going now—"

"Wait!"

Adrien gripped his hand around her wrist, causing her to look back at him. Their eyes met, and Adrien's cheeks grew light red at the sight of his favorite color. The color he hasn't seen since Marinette's death.

The girl seemed to have no negative reaction to his sudden contact. Rather, she found herself lost in his emerald green eyes. Her heart pounded against her chest, like something had flourished within her.

Adrien, upon realizing what he was doing, quickly retracted his hand from her wrist. He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment as his cheeks turned a darker shade of red.

"I'm sorry," Adrien said and held his hand out to her, "My name's Adrien"

The girl let out a small laugh, "Don't worry about it"

The bluenette placed her hand in Adrien's, returning his handshake. The edges of her lips curled up slightly as she looked at him.

"Nice to meet you, Adrien," the girl said, "I'm Marinette"

**~The End~**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I hope you enjoyed this story! :D
> 
> I've considered writing a prequel to this story based on a different Chinese folktale (Butterfly Lovers), but I'm not really sure yet :O
> 
> It probably won't come for quite a while if I do decide to write it, though, since I want to finish my WIP (The Accompanist) before I start another project ^^
> 
> Thank you for your time! Have a great day!! :D


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